2003 November

Crescent Hill adopted the Palaung in 1998 through

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Adopt-a-People/

People Partnerships. It’s a commitment embraced by

the entire church. Children at Crescent Hill took the

lead collecting money to purchase pigs for the Palaung,

who raise and sell the animals to augment an existence

reliant upon sparse crops.

“It caught the imagination and generosity of our

church,” explains Bill Johnson, minister of education.

The children not only collected more than enough

money, they revealed a newly awakened passion for

global missions throughout Crescent Hill. “It was very

moving to see the children get involved, and really to

lead the church,” Johnson says.

Crescent Hill became aware of the needs of the

Palaung through Ellen and Rick Burnette, CBF global

missions field personnel in Thailand. Crescent Hill was

“very much committed to CBF’s philosophy of focusing

COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP’S MISSION: SERVING CHRISTIANS AND CHURCHES AS THEY DISCOVER AND FULFILL THEIR GOD-GIVEN MISSION.

PASSPORT CampTransforms

Lives of Teens

Hispanic Partnership Gains

Momentum

Chaplains Bring Compassion to Prisoners

Angolan TripReveals IPDs

Suffering

LeadershipScholars Pursue

Ministry Call

INSIDE

CBFfellowship!C O O P E R AT I V E B A P T I S T F E L L O W S H I P

NOVEMBER 2003

WWW.CBFONLINE.ORG

Online Newsletter

You can access the “fellowship!” newsletter online in a PDF

format. Go to Newsstand/fellowship! newsletter at

www.cbfonline.org.[continues p. 2]

Kentucky Church Partners with Thailand Hill TribeThey wanted to buy a pig.

For members of Crescent Hill Baptist Church

in Louisville, Ky., it was a natural step to

take in their relationship with the Palaung,

a Thailand hill tribe also known as the Rock

people. Former refugees from Burma,

the Palaung survive without benefit of

citizenship and struggle to provide for their

basic needs. The Palaung were a forgotten

people – but not any longer.

After forging ties with Palaung villagers, some Crescent Hillvolunteers consider them to be as “precious as members of ourown family.”

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effort on those people no one else is attending,” Johnson

says.

In addition to sending money and continuing to support

the Burnettes and Palaung with prayer, Crescent Hill sent

out a “scouting pair” to Thailand to see the needs of the hill

tribe people. Two groups on missions trips followed to help

meet the surveyed needs.

Because the Burnettes were in the United States at the

time, the first group that went in June 2001 stayed in the

city of Chiang Mai and worked with another hill tribe, the

Karen, painting a youth hostel. “That broadened our sense

of ministry and cooperation beyond what Rick and Ellen are

doing,” Johnson says. A few months after their return, the

Karen youth hostel’s water system collapsed, and Crescent

Hill was eager to help. Through a Thai food buffet fund-

raiser with food donations from a local Thai restaurant, the

church raised the money needed. “What was a few thousand

dollars to us, to them was a lifesaver,” Johnson emphasizes.

Describing the missions team’s visit in November 2002,

“they came ready to work,” says Rick Burnette, who leads

the Upland Holistic Development Project (UHDP) in

Northern Thailand. UHDP is a Christian rural development

project that equips marginalized, upland farmers in sus-

tainable agriculture in 12 hill tribe villages, mostly the

Palaung. Rather than working directly in Palaung villages,

the Crescent Hill team plugged into work at the UHDP

Ministry Center.

Rick is careful to preserve the Palaung’s sense of inde-

pendence. “We don’t want to give them the impression that

they’re helpless,” he says. “Crescent Hill understood that.”

On a visit to a Palaung village, team member Steve Clark

met a couple who proudly showed him their family garden

FELLOWSHIP INDIVIDUALS and churches

can partner in Ellen and Rick Burnette’s

ministry among the Palaung by financially

supporting the following projects:

• Upland Holistic Development Project

(UHDP) Ministry Center (project number

80056). Funds will be used to cover

ministry center utilities, equipment,

maintenance and site development.

• UHDP Office and Legal (project number

80051). Funds will be used for UHDP

office and legal expenses.

• UHDP Staff Support (project number

80055). Funds will be used for project

staff support and work-related travel

expenses for one year, and for staff

professional development.

• Rural Development (project number

80052). Funds will be used to implement

development demonstration projects at the

ministry center and extension projects in

hill tribe villages, including sustainable

upland farming, gardening for nutrition,

small-scale livestock production, agro-

forestry, water and sanitation, and social

justice and relief. Funds will also be used

to support short- and long-term ministry

center trainees and to produce educational

publications and multi-media presentations

related to sustainable development.

To fund projects, make check payable

to CBF, marked with project names and

numbers, and send to CBF, P.O. Box

101699, Atlanta, GA 30392.

Palaung Resources

The following resources provide information

about the Palaung and how Fellowship

global missions field personnel are

reaching out to them:

• Individual UPG Flier - The Palaung

People (formerly the Rock People). (free,

plus shipping)

• Individual UPG Video: The Rock People.

($6.95, plus shipping)

Order from the CBF Resource Link at

(888) 801-4223 or the CBF e-Store at

www.cbfonline.org.

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Top: Palaung villagers of all ages greet the volunteers who visited theirhomes. Above: Bill Johnson (left) and Steven Cole (right) set up a hand-crank corn sheller they found buried in a shed. Before this, the UHDPstaff shelled corn by hand.

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COOPERAT IVE BAPT IST FELLOWSHIP w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g

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Get Involved

[continues p. 3]

w w w . c b f o n l i n e . o r g NOVEMBER 2003

that maximizes the space used. “They

told Rick that they actually grow more

than they can eat, so they end up giv-

ing some of the food to their neigh-

bors.”

The team’s willingness to work

alongside UHDP staff and to tackle

whatever task was at hand, from laying

cement blocks to shelling corn, dis-

solved the barriers of culture and

language. When the Crescent Hill

group delivered handmade receiving

blankets to new mothers, Johnson

says, “It was a very moving, powerful

thing. When you give a parent a gift

for their newborn child, you don’t

need a common language.”

Clark agrees, “That was probably

the best part of the trip for me – to

be able to express our appreciation

and care for each other even without

being able to do so verbally.”

“We ventured out in faith to adopt

this group; we didn’t have a reason

not to,” Johnson says. “Rather than

being paralyzed because there are so

many needs, we chose this place to

focus.” Crescent Hill plans to return

to Thailand in 2004. f!

For more information about the

Palaung or Adopt-A-People/People

Partnerships, contact Tom Ogburn, CBF

associate coordinator for partnership

missions, at (800) 782-2451 or

[email protected]. Or go to

www.adoptapeople.net.

By contributing writer Tiffany Schmieder,

Atlanta

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Rick Burnette (center) explains crop layering forsmall plots to the Crescent Hill missions team.

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Speakers Bureau Helps FellowshipTell the Missions StoryEACH YEAR, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship distributes promotional

resources designed to help tell the global missions story while promoting

missions giving.

“Now available to churches is a new resource, the CBF Speakers Bureau,

which we believe brings the resources and stories to life,” says

bureau facilitator, Terry Walton. “The bureau consists of staff,

field personnel and missions volunteers who have a passion for

missions and convey that passion with each presentation.”

Kezia Paul, CBF program director for volunteer missions and

member of the speakers bureau, shares: “It is a real joy for me to

connect with our churches, not only to have the opportunity to

tell my story, but to hear their story, as well.

“I’ve seen a great deal of creativity in the manner in which

churches are promoting missions giving,” she adds.

Paul reports that in some settings, the church leadership

integrated resources into the service or meeting, such as litanies

found in the Offering for Global Missions Leader Guide, segments from pro-

motional videos and prayer guides. “It not only supported the story I was there

to tell, but it also enhanced the stories conveyed through these resources.” f!

Churches interested in securing a missions speaker may contact CBF

Communications and Marketing at (770) 220-1630 or e-mail the request to

[email protected]. This service is a year-long effort and is not limited to missions

emphasis seasons.

Christmas: An International Holiday NASSIM WAS BUSY with his art project (making

decorations for the Christmas tree that would be put up

for their party) when he said, “Christmas is an

American holiday.”

I replied, “No, in reality it is a Palestinian holiday.”

Of course, he was surprised by this as some of his

family members were heavily into Palestinian issues,

and this was not what he had heard at home.

I continued, “Nassim, what is Christmas? It is not

Santas, and buying toys, and getting drunk, or parties.

Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of Issa [Jesus].”

Nassim had never heard this most simple fact. “And do you know where he

was born?” I asked. “He was born in Bethlehem, and Bethlehem is a city in

Palestine. It is a city under President Arafat’s control. So, since Issa was born

in a Palestinian town; it is a Palestinian holiday at its heart.”

Nassim replied, “Ça claque” (which means literally ‘that bangs’ … or nifty

neato).

We got us one claquing God here. f!

The Fellowship’s December 2003 missions education curriculum focuses on the

Fellowship’s ministries and outreach in Paris. (Annual subscription: adult and

youth, $20; children and preschool, $80. Shipping will be charged.) To order, con-

tact the CBF Resource Link at (888) 801-4223.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The

following missions journal is

from Mike Hutchinson, who

serves with his wife, Lynn,

as Cooperative Baptist

Fellowship global missions

field personnel in Paris. The

Hutchinsons minister in

neighborhoods among the

international immigrant

population, mostly from

Muslim countries.

Kezia Paul

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It was nothing short of miraculous.

“School was out on break, so the community had been

invited to attend the day camp at the center,” explains

Melissa Browning, who serves with her husband, Wes, as

CBF Global Service Corps field personnel in Kenya. “We

expected 50 kids to attend, and since there were 60 campers,

we felt prepared.”

But the unexpected happened. As the teen-age campers

arrived at the center, children came running to greet their

buses – all ages, all sizes. The crowd continued to grow until

it reached 200, making the lunches planned for 50 a

predicament. As PASSPORT camp staff advised the campers

of the lack of food, they answered with one voice.

“Before they could finish whispering the word into the

students’ ears, they each replied, ‘Give my lunch to the

kids,’” Browning recalls.

While campers led children in games, crafts and Bible

stories, adults divided sack lunches into smaller portions.

Browning says the room grew silent as someone asked,

“What should we do with the extra food?” All the lunches

had been provided, with four huge bags to spare.

“It was the miracle of the loaves and fishes, happening

all over again in a poor slum outside Nairobi,” Browning

explains. “As we gave away our own lunches, we had enough

for everyone to eat.”

That evening, the campers shared their feelings about

the events of the day. A young man from Kenya, whose

father pastors one of the larger churches in Nairobi, stood

up and thanked the PASSPORT group for coming and shar-

ing the experience in the slum. He said the event helped

open his eyes to circumstances in his own country.

“PASSPORT Kenya was more than we imagined … and I

had high hopes!” says Colleen Burroughs, executive vice-

president for Passport Inc., a non-profit youth camping

organization and CBF partner with summer camps mostly

in the southeastern United States.

“It [the camp] wasn’t put together for the intention of

going to Kenya to do missions,” Burroughs says. “The idea

was for American teen-agers to experience Christian

Kenyan teen-agers – to experience the family of God on the

other side of the world and see what we could learn from

one another.”

The summer trip to Kenya was several years in the

making, a joint project between Passport Inc. and Africa

Exchange – a non-profit organization under the CBF

ministry of global missions field personnel Melody and

Sam Harrell. Representatives from North Carolina,

Virginia, Florida, Alabama and Kentucky – a total of 43

teens and adults – participated in the first PASSPORT camp

to Kenya.

Just five minutes after meeting, Kenyan and North Americanteen-agers already speak the common language of laughter.

PASSPO

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PASSPORT Kenya CampTransforms Lives of Teens

W H E N C H R I S T I A N T E E N - A G E R S from North America and Kenya visited the Baptist Children’s

Centre Orphanage in Nairobi, the true spirit of cultural exchange occurred.


“One goal of Africa Exchange is to facilitate the exchange

of ideas and resources between Africa and other parts of

the world,” Sam says. “The idea in this case was to provide

PASSPORT campers with a cross-cultural learning and

serving experience in the context of a peer-to-peer

exchange.”

In preparation for the camp, Sam visited local Baptist

churches in Nairobi, offering teens the opportunity to

spend a week with their American counterparts. More

than 30 Kenyan teens, from middle- to upper-income

families, responded to the invitation.

“This was an amazing cross-cultural experience where

the kids really got to know each other,” says Melissa

Browning. She and Wes have worked with the Harrells for

nearly a year. As GSC personnel, the Brownings will serve

in their missions assignment for two years.

Patti English, associate pastor at Fredericksburg Baptist

Church in Fredericksburg, Va., accompanied 12 people

from the church, and agrees that the day at the orphanage

“was phenomenal.” She feels the Kenyan trip made a

permanent change in everyone.

“Our young people have come back and interacted

differently with their families and peers – at church and

the community at

large,” English says.

Libby Scott, a 16-

year-old camper from

Crescent Hill Baptist

Church in Louisville,

Ky., says the trip had

tremendous impact.

“It was a worthwhile,

life-changing event.

We really did change while we were there.”

Scott adds that the Kenyans had a “strong faith and

were very passionate about it,” causing her to take a long

look at her own faith.

“It made me ask, ‘What more can I do?’” f!

PASSPORT plans another Kenya trip in 2005. For more infor-

mation, go to www.passportcamps.org or call (800) 769-0210.

For more information about Africa Exchange, go to

www.africaexchange.org, e-mail [email protected],

or write Africa Exchange, 4511 Eno Cemetery Road, Cedar

Grove, NC 27231.

By staff writer Jo Upton

THE FALL EMPHASIS of the 2003-04

Offering for Global Missions highlights the

ministry of CBF global missions field

personnel serving the most neglected in

Kenya, Northern Thailand and Albania.

Based on Acts 1:8, this year’s offering

theme is “Everyone … Everywhere, Being

the Presence of Christ.” Use the contribu-

tion envelope provided in this issue to

enable the Offering for Global Missions to

meet its $6.1 million goal. Please mark

your check “Offering for Global Missions.”

The following free resources are

available to help you take the gospel to

“Everyone … Everywhere.”

Yearlong Resources

Leader Guide. Contains stories of how CBF

field personnel and partners are being the

presence of Christ.

Everyone … Everywhere Video. Designed

to be used in five-minute segments.

Speakers Bureau. Contains lists of

speakers who will share with churches or

groups (see page 3 for more information).

CD-ROM. Includes PDFs of the offering

print resources, a five-minute missions

challenge from CBF Global Missions co-

coordinators, promotional videos and art

and photos of subjects featured in the

offering promotion.

Offering Picture Pak. Includes images of

CBF field personnel featured in offering

promotional materials.

Missions Advocate Guide. Notebook offers

general information about the Fellowship

and CBF global missions, with specifics

about the 2003-04 offering.

Offering Envelopes. For pew racks and

mailing.

Seasonal Resources

Everyone … Everywhere Bulletin Insert.

This 5” x 8” insert shows how CBF field

personnel are working alongside others to

take the gospel to everyone … everywhere.

Everyone … Everywhere Poster. Filled with

images of people touched by CBF missions

efforts. One side of the poster is in

Spanish, the other in English.

Prayer Resources

Praying Psalm 23. A yearlong guide to pray

for specific needs of CBF field personnel

and the people they serve among.

Partners in Prayer Calendar. Lists the

names and birthdays of all CBF field

personnel and their children.

To order, contact the CBF Resource Link

at (888) 801-4223 or the CBF e-Store at

www.cbfonline.org. Shipping charged.

For more information, click on the

“Offering for Global Missions” button at

www.cbfonline.org.

Offering for GlobalMissions Resources

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“You will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, inSamaria, and everywhere in the world.” (Acts 1:8 CEV)

Ryan Chandler leads a game amongchildren at the Baptist Children’sCentre in Nairobi.

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“WE HAVE BEEN BOMBARDED BY CALLS from all

over,” says Bernie Moraga, coordinator of the Cooperative

Baptist Fellowship Hispanic network. “Churches wanting to

start new work among Hispanics – it’s amazing. I didn’t

have those sorts of requests before the partnership.”

Moraga is referring to the partnership between the

Fellowship and the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas –

representing 1,100 Hispanic Baptist churches – to start 400

Hispanic churches in the United States during the next

eight years and, in partnership with the Hispanic Baptist

Theological School, to train 400 new Hispanic Baptist pas-

tors and church leaders.

Moraga believes every church can do something. “I need

to know churches that are willing to partner with us,” he

explains. Moraga looks for those churches that want to be

financially involved, provide a scholarship to help a student

go into the ministry, or help plant a Hispanic church start.

When asked about the partnership’s future, Moraga

speaks candidly. “I hope we are going to look for qualified

people who will provide leadership,” he says. “So far, the

people we have on the advisory board are very qualified.

“If you look at CBF, there are so many qualified leaders,”

Moraga emphasizes. If they each take one person “‘under

their wing’ for a few weeks or months, I believe they will

make a difference in eternity,” he adds.

Nelson Rodriguez is one of the board members that

Moraga describes. A member of

both the Texas and national

CBF Coordinating Councils,

Rodriguez shares Moraga’s

enthusiasm for the part-

nership.

“I think this has

been a ‘wake-up’

call for everyone,”

Rodriguez says. “By

coordinating efforts

with their Hispanic

counterparts, there is a

ministry opportunity

for CBF churches right

here in our own back-

yards.”

Rodriguez sees the

significance of the

partnership from a

larger perspective. “The Hispanic stand to go with CBF is a

monumental event – they are saying, ‘We are with you.’”

Rodriguez continues: “I think this next step is crucial.

Now that the ceremonies are over, it’s going to be up to CBF

churches to say, ‘We want to partner with the Hispanic

churches and do the work of the Lord.’”

Jimmy Garcia, director of Hispanic work for the Baptist

General Convention of Texas, is excited that churches seem

to be looking beyond physical borders. “Sometimes we feel

like Texas is the only place we can do direct missions work,”

he says of the churches in his state. “This partnership

opens doors for churches – we aren’t limited by the border

of Texas. I hope every Hispanic church in Texas will see this

as a vision beyond comprehension.”

“The initiative is really beginning to take off in South

Carolina, Missouri and Maryland – in that order,” says Bill

Bruster, coordinator for CBF networking. He adds that

Virginia is involved in an initiative to work among

Hispanics. Greg and Sue Smith have been appointed by CBF

of Virginia to spearhead a new missions outreach to

Hispanics in the state.

Bruster says the initiative is moving in the right direc-

tion but reminds everyone that the partnership goal of

starting 400 new churches won’t just happen. “We have to

be intentional about it,” he concludes. f!


For more information about the Hispanic partnership, contact

Bernie Moraga at (505) 247-4781 or Bill Bruster at (214) 282-2146

or [email protected].


CBF Hispanic Partnership Movesin the Right Direction

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Bernie Moraga (left) helps leadworship in a bi-cultural setting during the 2003 General Assembly.


PRISONS OFTEN FEEL L IKE places beyond hope. But

they aren’t beyond the reach of God’s love.

“People tend to think that everyone in prison is beyond

redemption socially or spiritually, that anyone who comes

to chapel or asks spiritual questions is just playing games

to get out of their cells or improve their chance of parole,”

notes Susan Barnett, a chaplain at a medium security

federal men’s prison in Florence, Colo. “Certainly there

are plenty of hard cases – in September, an inmate threat-

ened to kill me – but prisons are fertile mission fields

where people are ready to hear the gospel.”

That “how can we hear unless we are told” environment

is a prime motivator for Barnett, one of three women

chaplains in the Federal Bureau of Prisons endorsed by

the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, along with Donna

Manning of Seagoville, Texas, and Pamela Rains in

Beaumont, Texas. “A chaplain brings a sense of humanity

and compassion into a hard and sterile setting,” Barnett

explains. “There are chances to minister in the midst of

crisis as prisoners deal with bad news such as the death of

family members or being served with divorce papers.”

Women chaplains also have the opportunity to provide

positive female role models, “something most men

haven’t seen a lot of,” Barnett says. She urges Christians to

volunteer for prison ministry, “because they appreciate

that you are choosing to be there with them because you

love God and love them.”

The Church should support correctional chaplains in

their call “to be the incarnational presence of Christ

among people with as much need of that presence as any-

one,” notes George Pickle, CBF’s associate coordinator for

chaplaincy and pastoral counseling. “They lovingly care

for inmates in their relationship to God and society while

accepting them as men and women Jesus loved and died for.”

Barnett first got involved in prison ministry by volun-

teering while she was a seminary student.

“I didn’t have any history with correctional facilities –

hadn’t had any family or friends imprisoned,” she

explains. “But I realized, for me, being lost was like being

in prison. I wasn’t saved until I was 21 and until then I was

lost and had no real purpose in life. I related to how the

prisoners felt.”

Plus, Barnett adds, “I like to remind people that cor-

rectional chaplains are doing a ministry specifically com-

mended by Jesus by visiting those in prison.” f!

For more information about CBF chaplaincy and pastoral

counseling, contact George Pickle at (770) 220-1617 or

[email protected].

By contributing writer Craig Bird, San Antonio, Texas

Chaplains Bring Compassion to Federal Prisoners

THE FELLOWSHIP now has

endorsed 334 chaplains and

pastoral counselors. The

following individuals were

endorsed recently:

Hospice Chaplains: Carolyn

Hicks, Hospice of Cleveland

County, Shelby, N.C.

Hospital Chaplains: J. Chad

Collins, Self Regional Health-

care Center, Greenwood, S.C.;

James P. Gilbert, Department

of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Navy

Reserve, Alexandria, La.;

Debbie D. Harned, Baptist

Hospital, Nashville, Tenn.;

Martha J. Harper, Baptist

Health System, Jackson, Miss.;

Stephanie Kaye Harris, CPE

resident, University of

Tennessee Medical Center,

Knoxville, Tenn.; George M.

Hemingway Jr., contract

chaplain, Department of

Veterans Affairs, Gainesville,

Fla.; E. Clay Polson, part-time

chaplain, Hillcrest Baptist

Medical Center, Waco, Texas;

Judith P. Powell, Columbus

County Hospital, Whiteville,

N.C.; Douglas A. Wigginton,

Department of Veterans

Affairs, Alexandria, La.

Military Chaplains: Matthew

S. Brown II, U.S. Air Force

Reserve, Mechanicsville, Va.;

Christopher William Carson,

U.S. Army, Fayetteville, N.C.;

Sandra P. Fambrough, U.S.

Navy, Shelby, N.C.; Randall Lee

Ridenour, U.S. Army Reserve,

Shawnee, Okla.; Jorge A.

Zayasbazan, Wisconsin Army

National Guard, Kenosha, Wis.

Pastoral Counselors: Laurel M.

Link, CareNet Inc., North

Carolina Baptist Hospitals,

Winston-Salem, N.C.

Corrections Chaplains: Susan

Eileen Barnett, Federal Bureau

of Prisons, Florence, Colo.;

Mary Frances Thompson,

South Carolina Department of

Juvenile Justice, Columbia,

S.C.

New Endorsements

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The Council on Endorsement includes (front, l-r): Randy Wright, RobertRandolph, Elizabeth Thompson, (back, l-r) Herbert Strange, ZelmaPattillo, Vicki Hollon, Troy Petty and Milton Snyder.

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“Look at this child. He has no food, he

has no water, and he has nowhere to

sleep that is safe.

“Tell me, how can this child live?”

Seeing and listening to the mother

and child proved to be the most difficult

and touching moment of her trip to

Angola, said volunteer Lynn Smith.

“The child was about one year old,

with sunken eyes, a large belly and brit-

tle, thin, coppery hair,” she said.

As an Angolan interpreter relayed the

mother’s words, he broke down and

sobbed. Smith recalled it as a horrifying

moment, with everyone realizing the

child would probably not live. Through the translator, the

volunteers assured the people they would tell their story,

working to get help for them and their children.

The mother’s story is just one of hundreds that could be

told of IDPs (internally displaced persons) living in camps.

“Going to the camps was almost the last thing we did,

and that’s a good thing,” said Smith, a registered nurse and

moderator-elect for the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship. “As

bad as things are in the rest of the country, you had to be

prepared to go to the camps.”

Smith spent 10 days with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

volunteers in Angola this summer, providing medical care

and ministry outreach to the cities of Luanda, Soya and

Cabinda. Working in

conjunction with

local churches, the

team ministered in

the three cities dur-

ing regular worship

services by preach-

ing, singing and

speaking to Angolan

Christians.

Team members

included Dr. Scott

Christie of Charleston,

S.C., who provided medical ministry. Carolyn Staley of

McLean, Va., worked with literacy education and music

among women, while Shemeka Gill and Amanda Shearer of

Georgetown College, Georgetown, Ky., provided youth and

children’s education ministry. CBF Student.Go summer

missionary Beth Riddick of Farmville, N.C., worked with

youth groups, dialoguing with various church leaders

concerning children’s ministry.

Fran and Lonnie Turner, CBF global missions field per-

sonnel and coordinators for HIV/AIDS and public policy in

Cape Town, South Africa, coordinated the missions project.

“The most striking experiences we had were at the IDPs

camps,” Smith said. “The children are malnourished and

infested with parasites. There are no schools, no jobs, no

transportation and no real access to health care.”

During 27 years of civil war, many families fled Angola,

seeking refuge in the Congo and surrounding areas. Now

that the war has ended, these people are forced to return to

their homeland, but are unable to go back to their farms

and personal properties due to large numbers of land mines

throughout the countryside. The government has settled

more than 5 million IDPs in camps near the border, in

dwellings made from mud-adobe bricks with plastic roofs.

Volunteer Beth Riddick (left) and Antonio AfonsoLopes (center) of the Christian Council of Angolatalk with youth and children in Luanda, Angola.

More than 2,000 people attend a church in Cabinda, Angola, where theCBF volunteer team participates in worship.

Lonn

ie T

urne

r ph

otos


Angolan Trip Reveals Sufferingof Internally Displaced Persons

The words of a desperate Angolan mother haunted a group of volunteers listening to her story.

The woman, whose age was impossible to determine because of the ravages of malnutrition and

poverty, motioned to the child she carried on her back.


This is where they will remain until the area is considered

safe – but no one has any idea how long that might be.

Daily life has become a struggle for these people. The

only water source is the river nearly a mile away, where

clothes are washed and baths taken, with no provision for

sanitation. Small quantities of fish from the river and the

leaves and roots of plants grown in the camps serve as

their primary food sources, bringing little relief from the

constant hunger.

While in Angola, Fellowship volunteers visited two IDPs

camps – one in Zongolo with 83 families, and another with

228 families in Buco-Ngoio. According to Smith, the people

were grateful for the possibility of help.

“When our delegation visited, the people were prepared

with their list of needs,” she said. “The men asked for

agricultural resources, running water, food aid, beds,

transportation, jobs and birth certificates for themselves

and their children. The women asked for sewing machines

and classes to learn to read and write. The children asked

for education, food, uniforms and soccer balls.”

In the short time since their return, the volunteers have

honored their commitment to be “the voice for these people”

by speaking in churches, presenting specific ways that

individuals can help alleviate some of the suffering. Smith

also said plans are being made to go back to Angola next

year. (For more information on this volunteer opportuni-

ty, contact (877) 856-9288 or [email protected].)

Smith said those interested in helping should not look

at the whole picture – “the discouragement would be over-

whelming.” Instead, she advised focusing on an area that

“touches your heart,” one way in which you can “make a

difference,” then get involved.

“The worst thing we could do is go there and say, ‘This

is so pitiful,’ then go about our life,” Smith warned. “That

would be a betrayal.” f!

Churches and individuals wanting to make a difference in

Angola can send donations through the Fellowship’s Angola

Project. Make check payable to CBF, marked with project name

and project number 80325, and send to CBF, P.O. Box 101699,

Atlanta, GA 30392.

To read an article by volunteer team member and CBF

Leadership Scholar Beth Riddick of Campbell University

Divinity School, go to Missions Journal at www.cbfonline.org

and click on “From the Voice to the Tears” in the archives.


ANGOLA, LIKE MANY nations,

struggles to deal with issues

related to HIV/AIDS and the

impact the disease has on its

people.

World AIDS Day on Dec. 1

serves as an educational

opportunity for individuals and

churches to learn more about

how to minister to those with

HIV/AIDS. According to Wayne

Smith, when Christians get

involved with HIV or AIDS

patients, it makes a difference.

“It’s a simple issue of

compassion,” says Smith,

director of Samaritan Ministry

of Central Baptist Church of

Bearden in Knoxville, Tenn.

Samaritan Ministry receives

support from the Tennessee

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

and the national Fellowship.

“I think the first thing a

church or an individual can do

is become educated,” Smith

says. “Identify an organization

in the community that is

already working with these

patients. Then volunteer to

answer the phone or run

errands or do whatever you

can. You’ll make a difference.

You don’t have to go in there

with your Bible in hand. Just go

in with compassion and people

will notice.”

For churches interested in

learning more about AIDS

ministries, Smith says the first

step could be something as

simple as including a bulletin

insert about the disease.

Smith says it is also

important for church members

to hear their pastors talk about

HIV from the pulpit.

“Jesus was clear in His life

about how He dealt with the

sick and disabled – not with

condemnation but with

compassion,” Smith says. “The

Christian response to HIV

needs to be a clear, clean

uncluttered message of love.”

Contact Wayne Smith at

(865) 450-1000, x 827 or

[email protected].

For more information about

the Fellowship's HIV/AIDS

ministry, contact Fran or

Lonnie Turner at

[email protected].

By contributing writer Sue H.

Poss, Greenville, S.C.

HIV/AIDS MinistryEmbodiesCompassion

GLO

BAL MISSIO

NS &

MIN

ISTRIES

9

Shemeka Gill (far left) of Georgetown College in Kentucky shares hermusical talent with youth in Luanda.

10

LEAD

ERSH

IP D

EVEL

OPM

ENT

TWO DIFFERENT WOMEN on two different ministrypaths share one important connection – both are 2003-04Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Leadership Scholars. Thisfinancial support is given to outstanding students who areplanning for ministry in local congregations or in missions.

Katie Brennan is beginning her first year at BaylorUniversity’s TruettTheological Seminary inTexas, pursuing a dualmaster of divinity andmaster of social workdegree. “In the social workprogram at Baylor, I willparticipate in continualdialogue about what itmeans to be a Christian inthe field of social work,”Brennan says.

As for future plans, shesays, “I foresee myself as aco-minister with my futurehusband working with ayouth group or pastoring achurch. We are also open tothe possibility of overseas

missions. I also desire to use my social work skills as acounselor perhaps in a hospital with children and familiesor with the elderly.”

After attending the 2003 General Assembly last summer,she says, “I became even more impressed with CBF. I feellike CBF is doing the work of God in fresh ways.”

“Being a Leadership Scholar is such a blessing,”Brennan adds. “I do not know how I would afford tuition if Idid not have this scholarship since my fiance and I are bothfull-time students.”

On the other side of the U.S., Brandy Albritton shares asimilar story. Her husband is in graduate school and teacheson an assistantship. “Both of our positions are only part-time,” she explains. “There is no way that I could continueas a full-time seminary student without the assistance ofthe leadership scholarship.”

This fall, she began her second year at Baptist Seminaryof Kentucky while also juggling her duties as the children’sministry intern at Lexington’s Central Baptist Church.

Through her work experience and theological studies,Albritton became interested in working on social justiceissues, especially those involving children. “I hope to go toAfrica this summer to work with AIDS orphans and I thinkthat my ministry after seminary will be something similar

that addresses the needs of children specifically,” she says.“I am absolutely convinced that the CBF has the right

idea where missions is concerned,” Albritton adds. “Ourglobal missionaries are not only planting churches, but alsoaddressing the physical, emotional and social needs of ‘theleast of these’ as Christ would have us do. It is my honor tobe part of such an organization.” f!

For information about leadership scholarships, contact CBF’s

partner schools, or go to Classroom at www.cbfonline.org.

Or contact Terry Hamrick at (770) 220-1600 or

[email protected].

By contributing writer Amy Walker, Atlanta

Brandy Albritton enjoys the playground with3-year-old Summer Wei at the CentralBaptist Church child care center.

Cou

rtes

y of

Bra

ndy

Albr

itton


Leadership Scholars PursueVarying Ministry Paths

Baptist Seminary of

Kentucky: Brandy Albritton,

Bern Kiser, Gary Price Jr.

Baptist Theological Seminary

at Richmond: Bryn Bagby,

Vanessa Ellison, Daniel Glaze,

Martha Ann Hensley, Christine

Kellett, Michael Kellett, Renee

Kenley, Stuart Lamkin,

Suzanne Stovall

Brite Divinity School, Texas

Christian University: David

Ivey, Mandy Nethercut, Aliou

Niang

Campbell University Divinity

School: Amanda Blackwell,

Emily Bowman, Rich Catlett,

Beth Cockman, Mary Hollings,

Jerry Layton, Beth Riddick,

Michael Sowers, Rod Walls

Candler School of Theology,

Emory University: Jeff Davis,

Sarah Doeppner, Mary

Catherine Foster, Jeremy Lewis

Central Baptist Theological

Seminary: Travis Daniel,

Cynthia Jarrold (spring 2004),

Dawna Payne, Emily Uy

Duke Divinity School: Derek

Carter, Amy Grizzle, Michael

Lea, Logan Dunn, Sina Stith

Logsdon School of Theology,

Hardin-Simmons University:

Brian Edwards, Walt Henson,

Danyel Rogers, Mark Rogers,

Marnie Sellers

McAfee School of Theology,

Mercer University: Mark

Basehore, Patrick DeVane,

Laura Domke, Ron Handlon,

Linda Davis-Mitchum, Daniel

Nance (spring 2004), Andrew

Smith, Julie Whidden, Angela

Yarber

George W. Truett Theological

Seminary, Baylor University:

Stephen Bills, Katie Brennan,

Kelly Burkhart, Stephanie Ann

Glenn, Robert Rueda, JoAnn

Sharkey, Ross Shelton, Kyle

Steinhauser, Cindy Wallace

Wake Forest Divinity School:

Bill Ballard, Margaret Deans,

Seth Hickman, Ray Howell IV,

Chris Towles

M. Christopher White School

of Divinity, Gardner-Webb

University: Jill Awuni, Carita

Brown, Cody Davidson,

Rendell Hipps, Johnny Lewis,

Shirley Luckadoo, Lee Norris,

Richard Park, Carol Seeley

Leadership Scholars


TERRY HAMRICK , Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

coordinator for leadership development, has been active

in the Fellowship since its inception.

While minister of Christian education at Broadway

Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, Hamrick volunteered

extensively with the Fellowship, organizing the General

Assembly Leadership Institute in Fort Worth during the

mid-1990s. When the Fellowship began searching for a

coordinator for church resources, Hamrick’s experience

made him the ideal choice.

Hamrick’s responsibilities have been refocused as a

result of the Fellowship’s strategic planning process,

bringing him to his present position. Leadership develop-

ment covers three primary

areas: collegiate ministry –

helping churches aid college

students as they discover their

vocational calling; theologi-

cal education – partnering

with schools as they develop

congregational leaders; and

congregational leadership –

educating and supporting

ministers and leaders.

Hamrick’s innovative

ideas include a more holistic

approach to ministry. “I see

this as an opportunity to

discover leaders, develop

leaders and then continue to nurture these same leaders as

they minister to others,” he says.

After learning of the Lilly Endowment Grant program

“Sustaining Pastoral Excellence,” Hamrick coordinated

the grant writing process for the Fellowship.

“CBF received one of the 47 grants awarded, amounting

to nearly $2 million,” Hamrick says. The grant is being

used for the Fellowship’s Initiative for Ministerial

Excellence to address specific leadership needs and

provide tools to minister to congregations.

Hamrick says of the 77 CBF leadership scholars from

partner schools: “Part of the joy of my work is getting to

know these folk. This is a significant program and a

significant investment in the lives of these future leaders.”

The Missional Church Initiative, started more than two

years ago, also holds a special place in Hamrick’s plans.

“Churches are facing unprecedented cultural change,” he

says. “The initiative will provide resources to assist

churches and church leaders as they do the hard work of

discerning God’s mission for them.” f!

Contact Terry Hamrick at (770) 220-1600 or

[email protected].


Hamrick Leads Fellowship to Discover,Develop, Nurture Leaders

Baptist Theological Seminary at

Richmond. The Congregational Health

Ministry Consortium, which includes the

seminary, received a $489,000 grant from

the Richmond Memorial Foundation. The

seminary will serve as the fiscal agent for

the consortium, which has been organized

to sustain the supply of parish nurses and

existing congregational health programs.

Baptist Studies Program, Brite Divinity

School, Texas Christian University.

D. Newell Williams has been named

president of Brite Divinity School. Williams

was a professor at Christian Theological

Seminary in Indianapolis.

Central Baptist Theological Seminary.

Seminary president Thomas E. Clifton

announced his retirement in late August.

He will officially retire on Dec. 31. Clifton is

the seminary’s ninth president.

International Baptist Theological

Seminary. Now in its 55th year, IBTS in

Prague, Czech Republic, welcomed 43 new

students from 22 countries this fall bringing

its enrollment to 111, the highest since the

seminary was founded.

Class Notes: News from Partner Schools

LEADERSHIP PRO

FILES

11

North Carolina native Terry Hamrick admits to being a “collegebasketball nut.”

Sta

nley

Lea

ry p

hoto

Getting Personal

Terry Hamrick, “handyman

extraordinaire,” has added a

room to his home, installed

ceramic floors, built cabinets

and closets, and replaced

roofing.

Family has always been the

key grounding element in

Hamrick’s life. He has been

married to Judith S. Orr since

1973, and they have two

grown sons, John and Steven.

12

AS W

E JO

URN

EY

As Christ’s Body, we are to engage in the same mission that

consumed Him. What does this mean for our lives?

It means first that we will live cross-culturally. We are

“in” this world but not “of” this world. There is a foreign

quality to our existence when it comes to the values that

surround us. This should not be interpret-

ed in a petty way that suggests Christians

don’t drink, dance or go to movies. Rather

it should be interpreted in a profound way

that suggests Christians don’t succumb to

commercialism, competitiveness and crass

materialism. We simply refuse the mili-

tarism and triumphalism of the world. We

reject the violence and racism pervasive in

our ethos.

Several years ago, Loren Mead in his book, “The Once

and Future Church”said that we in North America have

moved away from a Christendom paradigm. The ”mission

field” is not “over yonder” in some remote place; we are

living in the middle of it. We can’t pretend that 2,000 years

0f Christian history has not shaped our culture, but neither

can we assume that the culture in which we live represents

Christian values. To live cross-culturally will be difficult for

some of us, and perhaps we can learn from career mission-

aries who have lived this way for a number of years.

Missional living begins when I allow my life to be shaped by

Jesus and not by the popular media, peer pressure or pun-

dits. Missional living begins when I embrace the ethic of a

crucified, resurrected Jesus and not one of civil religion or

consumer church.

Cross-cultural living, however, becomes missional only

if it leads to living incarnationally. This means I must

become immersed in personal relationships, not judging or

condemning, but identifying with others. I learn their

language (both spoken and heart language). I listen to them

– both when I agree and disagree. And most of all, I love

them – both unconditionally and sacrificially.

Also, the idea of incarnational living is linked to the con-

cept of servanthood. This is how the mission of Jesus was

accomplished. He became a servant to all. He did not aspire

to greatness or glory, but to service. If we are to live mis-

sionally, we will aspire to a simple life of self-giving. We

will seek ways to meet one another’s needs.

Finally, missional living means living transformationally.

We seek our own transformation, the transformation of

others and the transformation of the world. Joel Vestal,

president of ServLife International, wrote the following

words in a recent newsletter.

We sold Elise’s car yesterday! There is a nice ‘rush’ or

sense of accomplishment when you close a financial

deal. … Recently a dear lady asked me how I ‘close

the deal’ in evangelism, as if evangelism were like a

sales presentation. I deliver the ‘goods’ in a nice

presentation and it is closed when someone ‘says the

prayer.’ … Don’t misunderstand, I do believe in peo-

ple praying a prayer of confession and salvation, but

something has been missed when we forget to realize

that people are on a process and a journey of faith in

Christ. We simply can’t ‘close the deal’ in one

moment and then forget the rest of the journey of

formation, transformation into His likeness.

Gardening is a much better metaphor for evangelism

(as it came from Jesus) as opposed to business/ sales.

Missional living means that we long for the day and pray

for the day when God will “gather up all things in Christ,

things in Heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:10).

Missional living means we take seriously the truth that “in

Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself … and

entrusting to us the message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians

5:19 RSV). Missional living means we ourselves experience

the transforming reality of Jesus Christ and we seek to be

instruments of that reality. f!

By CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal


Missional Living

T H E C H U R C H I S T H E M Y S T I C A L B O D Y of Christ. We are the continuing presence of Jesus in

the world, advancing His redemptive mission. In culture, in government, in causes for justice and

in religious movements, God is active and present. But it is in and through the church that the

living Christ dwells. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, endowed with gifts, empowered for

witness and created to bear fruit that makes us look and act like Christ.

Vestal


FELLOWSHIP FARE

13

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

GEORGIATHE FOLLOWING CBF-related

Georgia churches have recently called

pastors: First Baptist Church,

Columbus, Jimmy Elder; First

Baptist Church, Dalton, Bill Wilson;

First Baptist Church, Griffin, Craig

Sherouse; First Baptist Church,

Union Point, Leonard Ezell; and

Sardis Baptist Church, Hartwell,

Tommy Kennedy.

Baptist Women in Ministry of

Georgia awarded 2003 scholarships

to Christian Garcia-Alfonso of the

Candler School of Theology and to

Liz Pearson of Mercer University’s

McAfee School of Theology. Jenny

B. Britt was named the 2003 Distin-

guished Church Woman of the Year.

NATIONALTHE FELLOWSHIP APPROVED sending

$10,000 in emergency relief funds to

Monrovia, Liberia, through Baptist

World Aid – the assistance arm of the

Baptist World Alliance. Half of the

$10,000 is designated for ministry to

internally displaced persons that have

sought shelter at the Baptist Seminary

in Monrovia while the other half is

designated for general food relief

such as the purchase and transport of

rice. Liberian Baptists in exile plan to

mobilize and collect food supplies,

medication and toiletries. To con-

tribute to the Fellowship’s effort to

address the need in Liberia, send

your financial gift to CBF, P.O. Box

101699, Atlanta, GA 30392. Make

your check payable to the Fellowship

and indicate the general relief and

development fund No. 17000 on the

memo line.

The current retreat 2004 will be

held at Wilshire Baptist Church in

Dallas, Feb. 18-21. Formerly known

as the Young Leaders’ Network, cur-

rent includes the Collegiate Network,

the Seminarians Network and the

Children’s Ministry Network. George

Mason and Diana Garland are

among the speakers. For more infor-

mation, go to www.currentonline.org.

Correction: The Web address

to subscribe to EthicsDaily.com

e-newsletter was incorrect in the

September/October 2003 issue. The

correct address is www.ethicsdaily.com.

SOUTH CAROLINATHE FALL CONVOCATION for

South Carolina CBF will be Nov. 10

at St. Andrews Baptist Church in

Columbia. James Dunn, former

executive director of the Baptist Joint

Committee on Public Affairs and

professor at Wake Forest University

Divinity School, will speak along with

Brenda Kneece, executive director of

the South Carolina Christian Action

Council.

TENNESSEETHE TENNESSEECBF (TCBF)

Coordinating Council

recognized Ircel

Harrison for his five

years of leadership as

the coordinator of the

organization. TCBF

currently relates to almost 70 church-

es across the state.

The TCBF’s church leadership

academy at Ball Camp Baptist Church

in August drew 90 participants from

14 churches. The one-day intensive

training experience was designed for

church leaders, teachers and ministers.

The event was the result of a partner-

ship between Ball Camp, the CBF

Resource Center and TCBF. Speakers

included Bo Prosser, CBF coordina-

tor for congregational life; Connie

Campbell of First Baptist,

Chattanooga; David Jennings of Mt.

Carmel, Cross Plains; Debbie Lloyd

of First Baptist, Newport; Greg

Mumpower of The Church at

Mountain Home, Knoxville; Jud

Reasons of First Baptist, Knoxville;

Tammy Abee Blom, TCBF associate

coordinator for leadership develop-

ment; Ircel Harrison, TCBF coordi-

nator; Ann Cannon of Wieuca Road

Baptist, Atlanta; and Jill Jenkins and

Michael McCullar of Johns Creek

Baptist, Alpharetta, Ga. Ed Sunday-

Winters, pastor, and Ron Schumann,

minister of discipleship at Ball Camp,

hosted the event, aided by a number

Coming Attractions

Feb. 3-4

Marriage Enrichment for Clergy Couples

Holiday Inn Airport, Atlanta

Leaders: Bo and Gail Prosser

Cost: $50 per couple, includes one night hotel

fees.

Contact: Jeff or Tonya Vickery, P.O. Box 37,

Cullowhee, NC 28723 or [email protected]

Feb. 18-21

current Retreat

Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas

Speakers: George Mason, Diana Garland

Information: www.currentonline.org

Feb. 29-March 3

True Survivor Gathering for Christian Educators

Providence Baptist Church, Charleston, S.C.

Speaker: Dan Bagby of BTSR

Cost: $50 per person, plus lodging

Contact: Toni Draper, (770) 220-1654,

[email protected] or Bo Prosser, (770) 220-

1631, [email protected]

For a complete schedule of events, go to

Community/Calendar at www.cbfonline.org.

Harrison

14

FELL

OWSH

IP F

ARE

of church members. Stephen Foster,

minister of music, and the church’s

praise ensemble provided pre-session

music.

Michael L. Young

became TCBF’s first

missions coordinator

Nov. 1. His primary

responsibilities will be

to assist churches and

individuals to fulfill

their Great Commission

calling and to be a catalyst for Great

Commission partnerships. He will

also lead in the creation and healthy

development of new congregations.

Young, a resident of Tullahoma, most

recently served as collegiate ministry

specialist at Motlow State Community

College and the University of the South.

He also was collegiate minister at

Louisiana College, Pineville, for 10

years. A graduate of Louisiana State

University and Southwestern Baptist

Theological Seminary, Young is married

to Susan. They have three children.

The Center for Baptist Studies at

Mercer University is the new co-

sponsor of “Baptist History and

Heritage,” the journal of the Baptist

History and Heritage Society. Pam

Durso, associate director of the Baptist

History and Heritage Society, serves

as the journal’s new editor. She previ-

ously taught as assistant professor of

church history and Baptist heritage at

Campbell University Divinity School.

WASHINGTON, D.C.DIRECTORS OF THE Baptist Joint

Committee on Public Affairs adopted

a smaller budget and heard a report

on the organization’s work during the

group’s annual meeting Sept. 29-30.

The directors of the religious liberty

watchdog organization adopted a 2004

budget of $1,063,100 – slightly less

than the 2003 budget of $1,068,000.

Executive Director Brent Walker

noted the BJC finished 2002 with a

sudden upswing in contributions and

significant growth in its number of

individual donors, but that could not

make up for the first eight months of

the year. Directors elected new officers

for 2003-04: board chairman, Jeffrey

Haggray; vice chairman, Ray

Swatkowski; second vice chairman,

Glen Howie; secretary, Sue Bennett.

(By Robert Marus, ABP)

CBF Launches PastorSabbatical Leave Program THE COOPERATIVE BAPT ISTFellowship’s Initiative for Ministerial

Excellence is launching a funded

sabbatical program for ministers. The

sabbaticals will begin in March 2004.

Applications can be obtained from the

Fellowship’s Atlanta Resource Center

and must be returned by Jan. 15,

2004, in order to be considered.

Funded by a $1.9 million grant

from the Lilly Endowment Inc., the

Initiative for Ministerial Excellence is

designed to deliver practical help to

congregational leaders across the

country. The initiative has a three-

pronged approach: peer learning

networks, funded sabbaticals and

ministry residencies for seminary

graduates.

“The sabbatical program is first an

educational effort,” said Terry

Hamrick, the Fellowship’s coordinator

for leadership development. “We want

to help congregational leaders under-

stand the importance of caring for

their ministers. This program is

designed to benefit both the pastor

and the congregation.”

A pilot program, the sabbatical

leave program features a limited number

of stipends for pastors to take a church-

approved sabbatical. Pastors must

have been in their current ministry

setting for at least seven years. The

goal of the program is to create a

model for congregations on how to

care for their pastors.

To access an online application, go to

www.cbfonline.org/community/ime.

For more information on the initiative,

contact Hamrick at (770) 220-1600 or

[email protected].

CBF-funded MissionsDatabase UnveiledGORDON-CONWELL Theological

Seminary professor Todd M. Johnson

introduced the World Christian

Database, a user-friendly, searchable

database, Oct. 9 on the seminary’s

campus in South Hamilton, Mass.

Funded initially by the Fellowship

as a tool to help identify areas of

greatest need in the world, the World

Christian Database is an online ver-

sion of what currently exists in print

in the World Christian Encyclopedia.

This new tool was created by Johnson,

director of the newly established

Center for the Study of Global

Christianity at Gordon-Conwell, in

coordination with Breuer & Co., a

Boston-based data management firm.

The database will be maintained,

updated and expanded as a part of the

ongoing work of the center.

“This is truly a landmark achieve-

ment in facilitating the spreading of

the gospel around the world,” said

Daniel Vestal, the Fellowship’s

national coordinator. “As we seek to

be the presence of Christ in the world

to the most neglected, we now have

better tools to assess who the most

neglected are and where they are

located.”

The database will also have a

subscriber-based service called

Multi-Objective Decision Analysis

(MODA) that allows for in-depth

research, such as selecting, designing

and managing a wide variety of ques-

tions and queries about people

groups, countries, cities and other

geographic designations. Such a tool

has not previously existed.

“The World Christian Database


Young


provides us with a relevant, user-

friendly tool for sorting through

Christian and secular research data

for identifying the most neglected in

all parts of the world and in all seg-

ments of society,” Barbara Baldridge,

CBF global missions co-coordinator,

said. “Congregations will be able to

discover who the most neglected are

in their own communities. Missions

agencies will be able to discover who

the most neglected are globally, using

the criteria they choose as relevant

and meaningful.

“Funding that global missions had

received from an anonymous donor

had been set aside for implementing

new strategies of ministry among

people with the greatest needs and

fewest resources,” Baldridge added.

“Those funds made it possible for the

World Christian Database to become

a reality this year.”

CBF, Global WomenAnnounce Partnership THE FELLOWSHIP AND Global

Women have announced a partnership

on issues related to women in missions

and the needs of women globally.

The two organizations will work

together to provide encouragement

to women who are called to missions

while expanding woman-to-woman

ministry opportunities.

“Global Women is excited about

partnering with CBF on issues related

to international women’s concerns,”

said Global Women’s Coordinator

Suzanah Raffield. “We must let the

needs of the world determine our

mission action, and right now the

needs of the world require a special-

ized ministry for women.”

Founded in December 2001, Global

Women is an ecumenical organization

designed to minister to unreached

women around the world while growing

the number of women missionaries

and facilitating women’s leadership

in missions philosophy and strategy. f!

(News articles by Lance Wallace, CBF

Communications)

WITH THE THEME “Being the Presence of

Christ: Today … Tomorrow … Together,”

participants will gather at the 2004

General Assembly in Birmingham, Ala.,

June 24-26.

Hotel reservations can be made online

at www.cbfonline.org/community/ga2004

or by filling out the form in the September/

October 2003 issue of “fellowship!”

Accommodations are available at the

following locations:

• Sheraton Birmingham (host hotel): rate:

$100; across street from convention

center

• The Tutwiler Hotel: rate: $100 single,

$109 double, two blocks from the

convention center

• Crown Plaza – The Redmont Hotel: rate:

$95 single/double, three blocks from

convention center

• Radisson Hotel Birmingham: rate: $89

single/double, 1.5 miles from convention

center

All requests for room reservations must

be made in writing or by the Internet.

Contact S Stewart & Associates at (770)

619-9671 for more information.

Delta Airlines is offering special rates for

those traveling to Birmingham for the 2004

General Assembly. By purchasing your ticket

60 days or more prior to your departure

date, you can receive an additional 5

percent bonus discount. Call Delta Meeting

Network at (800) 241-6760 for details.

Refer to file number 199515A to obtain

the discount.

The 2004 General Assembly Steering

Committee includes: Bill Wilson, chair,

First Baptist Church, Dalton, Ga.; Barbara

Baldridge, CBF Global Missions representa-

tive, Atlanta; Valerie Burton, simultaneous

worship coordinator, AlabamaCBF/IME,

Hoover, Ala.; Michele Deriso, CBF staff,

Atlanta; Mart Gray, attendance/promotion,

AlabamaCBF, Elba, Ala.; Cynthia Holmes,

CBF moderator, Clayton, Mo.; Tim Mann,

music and worship, Shades Crest Baptist

Church, Birmingham, Ala.; Ben McDade,

CBF media relations and events promotion,

Atlanta; Kym Mitchell, local arrangements

coordinator, WMU, Birmingham, Ala.; Bo

Prosser, CBF workshops coordinator,

Atlanta; Bob Setzer ex-officio, First Baptist

Church, Macon, Ga.; Susan Stewart,

meeting space/Resource Fair consultant,

Alpharetta, Ga.

Make Plans for 2004 General Assembly

FELLOWSHIP FARE

15

Vol. 13, No. 7

CBF COORDINATOR • Daniel Vestal

EDITOR • Ben McDade

MANAGING EDITOR • Lisa M. Jones

PHONE • (770) 220-1600

FAX • (770) 220-1685

E-MAIL • [email protected]

WEB SITE • www.cbfonline.org

fellowship! is published 8 times a

year in Jan./Feb., Mar., April/May,

June/July, Aug., Sept./Oct., Nov., Dec.

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

P. O. Box 450329

Atlanta, GA 31145-0329

Address Service Requested

10 Reasons to Give to theCBF Offering for Global Missions

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article was written

by Ana D’Amico, who serves with her husband,

David, as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship global

missions field personnel in New York City. The

D’Amicos serve among the diplomatic community

at the United Nations.

A FR IEND CALLED and asked: “Why should

I give to Global Missions through CBF?”

Here are my answers:

Because a hungry child in Asia will be

grateful; a sick child in Africa will be

grateful; a homeless child in Harlem,

N.Y., will be grateful; and a child in an

orphanage in Europe will be grateful.

Because you, through the missions field

personnel you support, will be speaking

many languages, reading the Bible and

telling about Jesus in all the continents of the planet.

Because you will offer hope to the ones who have no

hope. Have you ever thought of what it is like to live

without hope?

Because you can be sure that your money will be used

responsibly by men and women missions field

personnel who are serving as equals, offering their

talents to God.

Because the person that will be most blessed by giving

is you.

Because you and your church want to focus on what’s

important.

Because if you give at the holidays, you will find more

profound joy than in receiving presents, and you will

avoid post-holiday depression.

Because as you give, your heart will welcome the poor,

the most neglected, the lonely in your own community,

and you will be changed.

Because if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, He is

expecting you to give not just your money, but also

yourself.

Because you will be sending a hug to the whole

planet. 10

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