2000 June

J u n e 2 0 0 0

5

More Than Band-Aids for QuangXi

8

Turning Spring Breakinto a Missions Project

12

Brian Wren Teaches WorshipThrough Music

Vol. 10, No. 5

CBF CoordinatorDaniel Vestal

EditorDavid Wilkinson

Managing EditorPhyllis Thompson

Assistant EditorRachel Gill

●

CBF MissionTo network, empower, andmobilize Baptist Christiansand churches for effective missions and ministry in

the name of Christ.

●

Phone 770.220.1600

Fax770.220.1685

●

E-Mail [email protected]

Web Sitewww.cbfonline.org

●

fe l l owsh ip ! is published 10 times a year

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 tofellowship! Newsletter,

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,

P.O. Box 450329,Atlanta, GA 31145-0329.

6

Demonstrating God’sLove in China

10

Bisu Find GodFrom ‘Heart Language’

fellowship!N e w s l e t t e r o f t h e C o o p e r a t i v e B a p t i s t F e l l o w s h i p

Happy Anniversary,Associated Baptist Press

Associated Baptist Press (ABP)

is celebrating its 10th

anniversary, and the

independent news agency has never

looked better. Its staff has grown from

one to seven, including a new bureau

chief in Washington, D.C. It is on firm

financial ground,

with a solid base

of supporters and

subscribers.

It has a maga-

zine, Faithworks,

targeted at

younger read-

ers. And 62

secular newspapers and 28 Baptist

papers rely on ABP for at least some

portion of their religion news.

But a decade ago, when word

spread that an alternative Baptist news

service was being formed, the reaction

of most Baptists was, at best, skeptical.

Since 1947, when

Baptist Press (BP)

began to supply

Southern Baptist

news, BP was an

icon, as much

a part of Baptist

life as Sunday

School.

▲

The fact that Associated Baptist Press wasformed during a time of turmoil did not helppublic opinion. The Executive Committee of theSouthern Baptist Convention had fired BaptistPress editors Al Shackleford and Dan Martin, in avery public and controversial way, accusing themof biased reporting. The words “moderate,” “con-servative,” “fundamentalist” and “liberal” wereflung at individuals and groups. Wounds randeep, and many saw the decision to form analternative news service the day of the firing asreactionary.

But that move had actually been in the mak-ing for years, batted around at meetings of Bap-tist state paper editors, most of whom vowedsupport of all kinds to the proposed news ser-vice. Editors said the move would give Baptists

the option of a free press, unattached to any oneorganization. At first, the group of supporterswas large — consisting of nearly every statepaper. But by July 17, 1990, when ABP was actu-ally formed and the time came to act on the pro-posal, only 12 papers —Maryland/Delaware, South Carolina,Louisiana, Alaska, Mississippi,Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri,New York, Florida, Texasand North Carolina —actually followedthrough.

Nevertheless,ABP pressed for-ward. FloydCraig, a Nashvillemarketing andcommunicationsspecialist, helpedwith raising fundsand organizing thefledgling news ser-vice. Martin, who hadmoved to North Caroli-na, was editor.

2fe l l owsh ip !

P a r t n e r s h i p M i n i s t r i e s

J u n e 2 0 0 0

Greg Warner Profile:

• ABP executive editorsince 1991, devotingapproximately two-thirdsof his time to FaithWorksand one-third to ABPdevelopment.

• Born in Oneida, NY;lived in Florida since age 8.Father was a salesman,mother a secretary.

• Felt called to religiousjournalism in high school.

• Earned a bachelor’sdegree in journalism fromFlorida Southern Collegeand master’s degree fromSouthwestern Seminary.Commuted by motorcyclefrom Fort Worth, where heworked as news coordina-tor for the Radio and Televi-sion Commission, to Den-ton, where he earned amaster’s degree in journal-ism at the University ofNorth Texas.

• Worked as associateeditor of the Florida BaptistWitness (1985–91) beforecoming to ABP.

• Has twice won theprestigious FrankBurkhalter award forexcellence in religious journalism.

• Married highschool sweetheart,Cheryl, a speechpathologist, in 1976.They have two children: son, Dane,16, and daughter,Shawn, 13.

• Hobbies includeracquetball, golfing,snow skiing and car-pentry (friends callhim “two-thumbGreg”). ■

On the Cover —ASSOCIATED BAPTIST PRESS STAFF: (clock-

wise from front center) Charles Qualls, development

director, Phillip Poole, executive director, Greg Warn-

er, executive editor, Franceen Cornelius, development

and financial associate, Kenny Byrd,Washington

bureau chief, Lindsay Bergstrom, art director, and

Bob Allen, editor, news service.

“To serveChrist by providing

credible and compelling information

about matters of faith.”

— ABP Mission Statement

(continued from page one)

Year ABP Total Revenue CBF Contribution % of ABP Revenue

1992–93 $211,651 $79,569 37.6%

1993–94 $239,631 $115,080 48.0%

1994–95 $249,364 $128,075 51.4%

1995–96 $267,323 $120,036 44.9%

1996–97 $294,029 $144,000 48.9%

1997–98 $469,976 $144,000 30.6%

1998–99 $487,195 $137,412 28.2%

1999–2000* $543,161 $138,866 25.6%

*projected totals, does not include gifts from churches and individuals.

CBF Funding History

CBF’S PERCENTAGE of giving to ABP has changed intentionally over the years because

neither the Fellowship nor ABP wanted the news agency to be tied exclusively to one entity.

ABP was officially launched in September1990, its first story a big piece on the 50thanniversary of the Baptist Joint Committee. Afterthat, stories were faxed, usually on Thursdays, tostate Baptist papers and some secular newspapers.

In February 1991, ABP hired Greg Warneras executive editor. (Martin is now a

news writer for the Baptist GeneralConvention of Texas and

Shackleford is editor ofMature Living, a Lifeway

publication.)Warner is surprised

that some would seehis decision tobecome a one-personnews agency, withshaky financialbacking, as risky: “Ithought I was being

hired for the best jobin the Southern Baptist

Convention. It was awonderful opportunity.” News editor Bob Allen,

hired 18 months later, agrees:“I was honored. Jobs like this just

don’t come along every day.”Today, ABP is a bi-weekly electronic

news service. Last year, it published 579 stories.Still, there have been tough times. When Asso-

ciated Baptist Press began, organizers thought thenews service would be supported totally by sub-scribers — primarily state Baptist papers. It soonbecame apparent that would not be the case. Manystate papers were hampered from contributingbecause constituencies and boards thought itwould be disloyal to Baptist Press, official newssource of the Southern Baptist Convention. Otherssimply did not have the funds.

Today, ABP receives financial support fromchurches, individuals and organizations as well asuser subscriptions. State Baptist papers pay $1,800a year for the service and permission to reprintABP articles. Individuals pay $100, and institu-tions $600 annually to receive ABP via e-mail.

Individual and institution rates are lower becausethey include only limited reproduction rights.

Until CBF was formed and began to contributehalf of ABP’s budget, Warner had to wear twohats: fundraiser and journalist. After Allen washired, he turned over the news side of ABP tohim and continued his fundraising role. With lastfall’s addition of Charles Qualls as developmentdirector, Warner has more time to devote to hisfirst love — journalism. Now he spends at leasttwo-thirds of his time on Faithworks, a magazineformed two years ago for young adult Christians.Allen still manages the news, and Kenny Byrdjust became Washington Bureau chief, assuminga role held 40 years by the Baptist Joint Commit-tee. The BJC recently lost press credentials tocover the capital because of its affiliation with areligious agency. Since ABP is independent, it canfill the role.

But Warner believes people are becomingincreasingly ambivalent toward denominationalties, and that some question the need for a


As CBF Has Grown,So Has ABP

Since 1992, CBF hassupported ABP finan-

cially. As CBF has grown, sohas ABP. The current CBFallocation for ABP is$138,866, compared to a$79,569 contribution in1992–93. But, althoughCBF’s financial support ofABP has increased, it hasbecome a much smallerpercentage of the ABP bud-get. Total ABP revenues for1999–2000 are estimatedat $543,161, making theCBF contribution 25 per-cent of total income, ratherthan the 50 percent it wasin 1992. This decrease inpercentage has been inten-tional, both on the part ofCBF and ABP, because nei-ther wanted the news ser-vice tied too closely to asingle organization.

However, CBF’s initialfinancial support came at atime when the fledglingagency desperately neededfunds. “I’m not sure wherewe would be today withoutit,” admits news editor BobAllen.

But CBF’s funding comes“without strings attached,”emphasizes executive edi-tor Greg Warner.

Last year, only 27 ofABP’s 579 stories (4.7%)were specifically about CBF.In contrast, 114 storieswere about government orsecular politics, 73 aboutstate or national Baptistorganizations, 70 aboutsocial and ethical issues and68 about the Southern Bap-tist Convention. ■

3 fe l l owsh ip !J u n e 2 0 0 0

ALTHOUGH CBF has funded ABP since its

beginnings, statistics show that the Fellowship

does not control story content.

Government/politics 19%

State conventions/agencies12%

Social/ethical issues12%

SBC/agencies11%

Spirituality/theology

11%

New ventures9%

Missions6%

Church life5%

CBF5%

Personalities4%

International news3%

Other2% SBC politics

1%


fe l l owsh ip ! J u n e 2 0 0 04

ABP’s Path is Dotted With Significant Milestones

July 17, 1990 —Founding of ABP is

announced, within minutesof the firing of BaptistPress editors Al Shackle-ford and Dan Martin.

May 1, 1991 — Firstfull-time staffer hired —editor Greg Warner.

May 18, 1993 —1,000th story published.

November 1, 1993 —Second journalist, BobAllen, added to staff.

October 27, 1994 —First ABP Religious Free-dom Award presented toJack Brymer, former edi-tor of the Florida BaptistWitness.

May 14, 1998 — ABPnews available via theInternet — www.abp-news.com.

June 25, 1998 — ABPlaunches first publication— FaithWorks magazine —at CBF General Assembly.

December 14, 1999 —5,000th ABP story pub-lished.

April 15, 2000 — Firstmajor-gift campaignapproved, coinciding with10th anniversary.

May 1, 2000 — Firstregional bureau opened— in Washington, D.C. ■

ABP continued ABP Reaches the World Through 62 Daily Newspapers

specifically Baptist news service. He sees that asABP’s greatest challenge.

“There are still a lot of Baptists out therewho want to be in the know,” he says. “But howwe define news and how we deliver news isgoing to have to change.” He is constantly onthe lookout for new outlets. ABP has a web sitewhere viewers can call up the latest headlinesor search the “stacks” for older stories. (Head-line links are also posted several times a weekon CBF’s home page at www.cbfonline org).

Warner launched FaithWorks for the samereasons. From the beginning, he has seen themagazine as a way to reach a younger audiencewith issues they face every day. It isn’t meant tobe a specifically Baptist publication. So far, themagazine has 4,000 subscribers. Warneraims for 5,000 this year and tries to be real-istic about how many young adults he canactually reach: “We are just a small orga-nization. We aren’t a marketing agencywith the resources we need to find alarger audience.”

And Warner isvery optimisticabout ABP’s future.“We’re at a won-derful juncture,” hesays. “In a lot ofways, we’re justbeginning. We stillask, ‘Is this the righttechnique? Is it goingto work?’ We’re at agreat place because wehave the freedom to sharewhat’s going on in the Christ-ian world in ways that willtouch people’s minds — andhearts.

“In 1991, I never dreamedwe would have come this far.”

— By Sarah Zimmerman, freelance writerand Peace Corps volunteer, Senegal, West Africa

One sign of ABP’s success is the respect thenews agency has garnered from secular media.

The 62 daily newspapers that subscribe toABP rarely reprint a story exactly as ABP sendsit. Reporters, however, depend on the material. It influences their stories and, in turn, the pub-lic’s image of Baptists.

“ABP is a good source of news tips and a lotof inside information,” says Richard Vara, veter-an religion writer for the Houston Chronicle. “I regard it as the best source of information onSouthern Baptists.”

Religion reporters for various media becomeacquainted with ABP staff as they work side-by-side. Those personal contacts add to theagency’s credibility, says Gayle White, religion

writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.“The reason I trust

ABP is I knowthe people who

run it,” she says.While many

fear that in a post-denominational

age, a press agencydevoted to one

denomination mayhave run its course,

White predicts thatthe need for reporting

about specific denomi-nations will increase:

“In such an age, whataffects the Baptists or theLutherans or the Methodistsaffects all of them eventually.They’re not as insular. Theyall want to know whateverybody else is doing.”

AIMING FOR A YOUNGER AUDIENCE:FaithWorks, founded two years ago, addresses

young adult Christians “with their special needs,”

says ABP executive editor Greg Warner.

f !

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V o l u n t e e r M i n i s t r i e s

5

our American health system,” he says.Back in Missouri, the Roberts spent nine

months raising money to take much-neededequipment and supplies back to China. “It wassuch a fulfilling experience,” he says. “We wereable to open little doors.”

Health care in China isunique. Partnering“churches and governmenthave different motives, butthey work together,” hesays. During sessions onmedical conditions, prob-lems were discussed freely.

And they talked ofmore than health care.Every evening, he visitedwith communist party

members who were curious and questioning. Inresponse, he shared his faith. “It’s so fulfilling toreach out to people who have never heard thegospel,” he says.

“When the government feels that everythingis above board and that Christians are workingwith them,” he said, “it’s a very positive witnessfor the local church.”

—By Rachel Gill, assistant editorFor a complete summary of the Missouri Med-

ical Missions trip, visit the Missouri CBF Web siteat www.cbfmo.org.


Jon Roberts Gives More ThanBand-Aids to Guangxi

iN MAY 2000, JON ROBERTS, Aphysician from Mountain View, Mo., couldhave been vacationing in a warm, relaxed

climate. Instead, he and a team of four, includingMissouri CBF coordinator Harold Philips, tookmore than $100,000 of medical supplies andequipment — including420 boxes of Band-Aidsdonated by Mountain ViewElementary School chil-dren — to Guangxi inSouthwest China.

CBF Missouri raisedmore than $10,000 for theproject and physicianfriends donated moneyand equipment. “It wasunbelievable how itworked out. The response was overwhelming,”says Roberts. “Who would have expected thateven Missouri school children would havebecome involved?”

This was his second trip to China. The firsttime, Roberts and his wife, Sue Ellen, evaluatedregional health care. Among findings was a lackof medicine, inadequate clinics, and poorlytrained health-care providers. By U.S. standards,the conditions were pre-1950. “But all the med-ical personnel we met, without exception, werevery cordial, friendly and anxious to hear about

f !

POVERTY AND HOPE: Jon Roberts (top) sits among children, who

welcomed the visitors with smiles and colorful flags. Poverty in the

region is rampant; a school dorm room (left) is bereft of any comforts.

Missouri CBF contributed funds for a new clinic and pharmacy at Tai

Ping. Signs outside express gratitude. Photos by Harold Phillips.

D o i n g M i s s i o n s

J u n e 2 0 0 0fe l l owsh ip !

China that we must follow, but against ‘love, joy,peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control’ there is no law,” shesays. “The Chinese people respond to these fruitsof the spirit.”

Lisenby is also an English teacher. “I value theopportunity to contribute to this society openlyas a Christian, so that the Chinese can see howChrist influences life in a very real, concrete andpositive way.”

“The gospel is demonstrated in vital relation-ships,” says Ron, “and we have seen how this canbe more powerful than the mere spoken word.”

Nanning is a city of two million people locatedin the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region inSouthwestern China. The surrounding area isrural and very poor; farmers earn the equivalentin U.S. currency of $60 a year and still work by

c BF REPRESENTATIVES RONand Ina Winstead are amazed at how thechurch is growing in China. “The secret

here seems to be the pew rather than the pulpit,”says Ron. “Chinese Christians take their faithseriously and find many waysto share it. Living and workinghere is like attending a semi-nary on church growth withGod as teacher.” The Winsteadsknow of churches that baptizemore than 300 adults each yearand where Sunday morning ser-vices are standing room only.

Based in Nanning in South-western China, the Winsteadsteach English at the university.They also do outreach throughCBF Limited, a foundation thatpartners with Amity, a ChineseChristian organization thatoversees a variety of projects:English teachers, rural develop-ment, medical, educational andsocial welfare projects, emer-gency relief and the printing ofChinese Bibles and otherChristian materials.

China is a communistnation where open expressionsof religion, once banned completely, are still

restricted. Brenda Lisenby,appointed in 1999 as a CBFrepresentative to China, viewsthese restrictions as opportuni-ties. “There may be laws in

CBF Partners WithAmity To BringImprovements

T he Amity Foundationis a government-sanc-

tioned Chinese social ser-vice organization initiatedby Chinese Christians.Amity is a Christian orga-nization, but not allemployees are Christian. Itserves the Chinese peoplein a variety of ways.

CBF representativeswork with the AmityTeacher Projects to bringvolunteers into the coun-try.This summer they willassign from 70 to 80 CBF-sponsored English teach-ers for one month.

The project began in1997 with 10 teachers; in1998, 55 teachers volun-teered; and in 1999, 70made the trip.

Other Amity projectsfall into broad categories:medical, rural develop-ment, education, socialwelfare, church-sponsoredprojects, emergency reliefand the printing press,which published for distri-bution two million Chi-nese Bibles in 1999.

The Chinese ChristianCouncil is another officialgroup through which CBFrepresentatives do com-munity work and lay training.

“We really enjoyour relationship withthe Amity Foundationand the China Christ-ian Council,” saysGary Baldridge, CBFglobal missions co-coordinator. “Workingin an open fashion incomplete cooperationwith these leaders is ablessing to us.” ■

CBF Lives Out God’s Love in China

A STUDY IN CONTRASTS: In downtown Nanning, streets bustle with

bicycles, motor bikes and pedestrians. But the outer areas are rural and

poverty-stricken, with the average farmer making less than $100 per

year. Photo by Janie Peacock

WATCHING CHURCHESGROW: Ron and Ina Winstead

are officially English teachers,

but through their influence,

many Chinese churches have

thrived. Photo by Janie Peacock

6


fe l l owsh ip !7J u n e 2 0 0 0

Teaching OpensDoors For WillingVolunteers

When Janie Peacock, arecently retired

middle school teacher oflanguage arts, was chal-lenged to go to China toteach English, she couldn’tfigure out a reason not togo. “I had time, enoughmoney, and I can teach,”she says.

In July 1999, she becameone of 70 CBF volunteerEnglish teachers in China.In Nanning, her studentswere middle-class highschool and college youthwho wanted to learn Eng-lish for economic reasons.

“They say, ‘if you can’tgo to the U.S., the sec-ond best thing is tolearn English,’ ” shesays. “They think ofthe U.S. as the Gardenof Eden.”

Students were verycooperative, standingwhen called on andasking permission tocome into a room.“They were a warm,considerate group ofkids,” she says. “I wasexpecting a policestate. I just didn’t see it.”

At church, shefound that older peo-ple, who had gone

through the Cultural Revo-lution, were very friendly.“I would like to know theirstories,” she says. “I won-der what they have under-gone for their faith.”

She is returning toChina this summer. ■

hand or with water buffalo. “We get depressed when we see the magnitude

of poverty,” says Ron. “But we remember thatJesus was concerned about the poor and he foundways to assist them.”

The Winsteads help through their work withthe Guangxi Christian Council led by pastor YuYau Kun. “We thank God for Pastor Yu,” saysRon. “He has been our mentor through a varietyof projects. God uses these projects to help usestablish relationships and build his church in thehard places.”

At La Gao village, where they helped with anelectrification project, the Winsteads were thefirst foreign visitors since the Japanese withdrewat the end of World War II. The project was paidfor by Missouri CBF(about one third ofthe total cost), thegovernment andlocal people. Theyfound many therewho had never heardabout Christianity.“When we got adirect question aboutour beliefs,” saysRon, “we told themthat helping others iswhat Christians do.”

During the pastyear, Missouri CBFassisted villages withfunds to provideelectricity to aremote Zhuang village; to help dig a deep well fora village without water, and to renovate severalschool buildings. Each project meant cooperatingwith local and government leaders, making itpossible for Christians to go into areas whereboth aging Communists and little children havenever heard the gospel.

“We believe that CBF has an open door inChina,” says Ron. “The Chinese church leadersare committed to winning their nation to Christand CBF can assist them.”

The Winsteads will retire this fall; Lisenby,who will assume the role of CBF’s internationalcoordinator in China, shares their optimism.

At a Christmas gathering, Lisenby welcomedChinese friends who came to cook dinner. Asthey left, she told them to take books from her“give-away” shelf. Among them were Chinese-English Bibles.

“They cleaned out my Bible collection,” shesays, “but the best thing was the compliment theypaid me. I have few cooking utensils so we madea steamer lid out of a flat skillet and some dish-cloths. This impressed them. They said I was notlike most foreigners who have so many ‘things.’

“They said I was like them.”—By Rachel Gill, assistant editor

(continued from page 6)

f !

POVERTY ANDOPENNESS: Women

(above) wash clothes in

the same way they have

for centuries. Brenda

Lisenby (left), though

saddened by the needs

around her, is optimistic

about CBF’s role in

China. Photos by

Michelle Darrah and

Harold Phillips.

V o l u n t e e r M i s s i o n s

8fe l l owsh ip ! J u n e 2 0 0 0

VolunteersShare the Load

I n every aspect of Fel-lowship work, volun-

teers are involved, sharingthe loads of missionaries,doing the overlooked workaround missions sites, sothat missions workers maycarry out other responsi-bilities.

Last year, 3,645 volun-teered through CBF, serv-ing in nearly equal numbersabroad and in the States.Sixteen volunteered for amonth or longer.

• In 1995, 575 volun-teered through CBF.

• In 1996, 1,875

• In 1997, 3,180

• In 1998, 3,499

This year 13 teams havebeen involved in volunteermissions; the final tally ofindividuals who participat-ed will be available in July.

To learn more about howyou or your church can volunteer, visit our web siteat www.cbfonline.org orcall Marie Moore at(770) 220-1631. ■

iN THE FALL OF 1999, BOULE-vard Baptist Church in Anderson, S.C.,invited Sam Bandela, director of the

Chamblee-Doraville Ministry Center in Atlanta,to speak at their fall missions emphasis week.After Bandela’s visit, the center became thechurch’s choice for a spring mission project.

They chose spring break, when young peopleas well as adults could participate. “This churchhas a deep commit-ment to hand-on mis-sions and ministry,”says Boulevard’s pastor,Johnny McKinney. Thecongregation has sentteams of volunteers toEurope and LatinAmerica and serves as aprimary channel for theadoption of gypsy chil-dren through a partnerrelationship with Provi-dence Baptist Churchin Bucharest, Romania.

At Chamblee-Doraville Center, a CBF partnerorganization, they worked in one of Atlanta’smost diverse international communities. In addi-tion to its work of tutoring children, teachingEnglish, distributing food and clothing, counsel-ing pregnant women and girls, communityhealth networking, and sponsoring Bible clubsand summer camps for children, five differentlanguage congregations meet each Sunday in itsworship center.

Only 20 years ago, the area around the centerwas small-town Georgia in look and feel. Today,it’s an international community with refugeesand immigrants from more than 150 nations.The center’s purpose: to share God’s love withvirtually a microcosm of the whole world. “TheChamblee-Doraville Ministry Center continues tobe a source of good pride and great joy for CBF,”says CBF global missions co-coordinator GaryBaldridge. “We’re so grateful for the involvement

of many churches and volunteers from across thecountry.”

Since Boulevard was only 90 minutes away, itwas possible to send a preplanning team to deter-mine what was needed for the project. Back athome, volunteers made curtains for the worshipcenter, donated materials and enlisted people forspecific projects.

In May 2000, 40 volunteers from Boulevard

arrived at the center. Working in teams, theiraccomplishments at the end of three days’ workwere phenomenal. “Advance planning was thekey,” says McKinney.

“They had a very ambitious agenda, but theywere so organized they finished all their projectsa day early,” says Charlotte Mullins, director ofeducational programs at the center, “They had avery thoughtful approach to volunteering.”

At the center, “the work went without ahitch,” says McKinney. “And we would do itagain. To see the diversity of that culture wasamazing. The world is truly at our doorstep.”

—By Rachel Gill, assistant editor

CHOOSING THE RIGHT COLOR: Volunteer

Ellen Sechrest helps Jocelyn Salazar with a special

Easter project. Photo by Charlotte Mullins

Spring Break Becomes aWorldwide Missions Project

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V o l u n t e e r M i s s i o n s

J u n e 2 0 0 0 9 fe l l owsh ip !

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK:Becky Lynch (top), irons cur-

tains for the ministry center;

pastor Johnny McKinney (far

left) paints floors in an upstairs

room; Jordan Parnell, 10,

(above) sands and refinishes a

wooden table and Deisy shows

off her new Easter basket.

Photos by Gary Meek and

Charlotte Mullins.

D o i n g M i s s i o n sD o i n g M i s s i o n s

J u n e 2 0 0 010fe l l owsh ip !

cBF MISSIONARY SARAH WEAVER*was two months pregnant with her firstchild when she arrived in a Bisu village

in northern Thailand. Older village women often placed their hands

on Sarah’s abdomen, con-cerned about her health andthe health of her unbornbaby. In Bisu culture, awoman in the first trimesterof pregnancy must sacrifice apig, dog and chicken toappease village spirits.

“I believe in the God whois above all spirits,” Sarahtold the women, assuringthem the baby would be pro-tected. Months later, Patrick,a healthy baby boy, was born.While in the village, he hasnever been sick.

“Your God is really pro-tecting your baby,” the villagewomen told her. Althoughthe Bisu are Buddhist, ani-mism controls their lives.They worship spirits of thevillage, forest and fields, with no concept of a

higher deity. Rules on how toplease the spirits often keepvillagers impoverished — asacrifice of one pig equalstwo months wages.

The Bisu are a small,unreached people group whonumber approximately 1,000in the northernmostprovince of Thailand, withanother 6,000 in neighboringcountries. Villagers growrice, corn for cattle feed, gin-ger, garlic and onions.

Sarah and her husband,Mark, are linguists who had

worked in Thailand for eight years as Englishteachers and Bible translators before they heardof the Bisu. While working with the Muang, aneighboring group, they met English teacherNoi Tong. A Bisu, he told of his people’s con-

cern about preserving theBisu language and culture fortheir children. With no writ-ten language, they did notknow how to begin.

“That’s what linguists do,”the Weavers told Tong. Hepromptly invited them to livein his village. Although vil-lagers are very anti-Christ-ian, he told the missionaries,“you will be welcome as longas you don’t preach at us.”

Fifty years ago, shortlyafter a Bisu couple becameChristians, a terrible epidem-ic swept through the village.After the new Christianswere thrown out, everyonebecame well. Villagers con-cluded that the spirits wereangered and then appeased.

After their move to Thailand’s second largestBisu community, the Weavers were able to workwith both the Muang and the Bisu. “It was defi-nitely ordained by God,” says Sarah. Althoughthe couple told villagers their ultimate goal wasto translate the Bible into Bisu, the Bisus’ zeal topreserve their language helped them accept theWeavers’ Christianity. They wanted to read folk-tales to their children, sing the old lullabies totheir infants, and produce a dictionary to pre-serve the validity of their language.

Working with a fellow literacy specialist and across-section of Bisu, the Weavers developed awritten alphabet and language, produced the firstBisu language book and translated portions ofthe Bible.

From early morning to late at night, the

BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY: Eager to

preserve their culture, elder Bisu have

welcomed the Weavers into their rural

society.

The Bisu People

Population: 7,000Religion: Buddhism/AnimismLanguage: BisuLocation: Southeast Asia

The Bisu live primarilyin northern Thailand,

an area known as the“Golden Triangle” becauseof its vast opium andheroin production. Theirtotal population in Thai-land is approximately1,000, with almost 800 ofthose living in two villages.An estimated 6,000 Bisu live in neighboringcountries.

The Bisu are believedto have originated in Tibet,then migrated to Chinaand traveled south alongthe Mekong River into thevalleys and mountains. Atthat time, they werehunter-gatherers; nowthey are primarily farmers.

Neighboring ethnicgroups generally considerthe Bisu uneducated andbackward, referring tothem as “filthy ones.” Acombination of discrimina-tory business practices bythese groups coupled withthe financial toll of makingspirit sacrificeshas produced acycle of povertyand debt for theBisu. Over manyyears, this mis-treatment hasled to their mis-trust of out-siders. ■

ANIMISM CONTROL: A man

worships at a small, makeshift

shrine at the village where the

Weavers work.

Bisu Find God in Language of the Heart


J u n e 2 0 0 0 11 fe l l owsh ip !

Adopting and Pray-ing Can Be Enough

Areplica of a bamboo hut sits in Fredericksburg

Baptist Church in northernVirginia to remind the con-gregation of its commitmentto the Bisu people of Thai-land and to the CBF mis-sionaries Mark and SarahWeaver who live and min-ister among them.

The congregation adopt-ed the Bisu through CBF’sAdopt-A-People initiative,committing to pray and pro-vide support. Offeringstaken during its spring mis-sions emphasis will supportministry projects for theBisu.

Cambria Baptist Church,a small, struggling AmericanBaptist congregation inCorydon, Iowa, led by CBFpastor Allen Thomason,also adopted the Bisu.

Sue Smith of Freder-icksburg coordinates theprayer network and corre-sponds with adoptivechurches. She believesprayer is one of the mostimportant ways to supportthe ministry.

“Churches ask ‘What canwe do?’ Many don’t want tojust pray,” Smith notices.“But praying,” she empha-sizes, “is doing.”

• For information on CBF’s14 Adopt-A-People groups, con-tact Tom and Beth Ogburn atthe World A Link Office, (800)782-2451.

• The summer CBF cur-riculum series Doing Mis-sions in a World WithoutBorders offers more informa-tion about the Bisu or B Peo-ple.To order CBF curriculum,visit our web store atwww.cbfonline.org or call toll-free (888) 801-4223. ■

Weavers’ home is open to villagers. “Your heartjust breaks when you see all the villagers’ physi-cal and spiritual needs,” Sarah says. As a result,the Weavers have encouraged development ofcottage industries to combat poverty and helpedestablish a Bisu scholarship fund. Since the Thaigovernment provides public education throughonly sixth grade, no Bisu has graduated fromhigh school or college.

“Christians can talk incessantly about Jesusand his love, but the Bisu need to have the Bibleto fully understand, and to be a basis for theirdiscipleship when they do become Christians,”says Sarah. “As God’s plan unfolds story by storyin the language of their hearts, the Bisu will

understand God’splan for them.”

*Real names ofmissionaries and thepeople with whom theywork cannot be useddue to the sensitiveareas in which theyserve.

—By Lisa Jones,freelance writer,Atlanta. Photos by CBF missionaries

2 cups sticky (glutinous) rice1 tsp. salt5 medium yellow mangoes1 cup coconut milk2 tbsp. cooked coconut milk1/2 cup sugar

Soak the sticky rice in lukewarm water for5–8 hours. Strain, rinse with water, and placethe sticky rice in the top of a double boiler orsteamer (The rice may be wrapped in cheese-cloth to keep it from falling through). Steamfor 25 minutes.

Cook 2 tablespoons coconut milk over lowheat. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and saltin the cup of coconut milk. Add the cookedsticky rice and stir until well mixed. Coverand let stand for 15 minutes.

Peel the mangoes off the seed and slice.Place on a serving plate. Spoon the cookedsticky rice beside the mango. Top with cookedcoconut milk. Sprinkle with ground peanuts ifdesired.

To order the free cookbook, Breaking Breadin a World Without Borders, call (888) 801-4223 or browse the online store at www.cbfon-line.org or call toll-free (888) 801-4223.

Khao Niaw Mamuang(Mangoes and Sticky Rice)

THE BISU WAY: A

woman grinds meal with

the only utensils available,

handmade from stone,

clay and wood.

(continued from page 10)

f !

▲

F a i t h F o r m a t i o n

fe l l owsh ip ! 12 J u n e 2 0 0 0

wHEN CRAFTING WORDS to be sung in worship, notedpoet-theologian-hymn writer

Brian Wren believes in being “PC” — “Profes-sionally Concerned” and following a “ProfoundConviction.”

Wren believes part of his dutyis to give voice to neglected,rejected and abused people whohave no voice.

Texts should also “give visibili-ty to those who are invisible inlanguage, such as women andchildren,” says Wren, one of fourBritish lyricists credited with trig-gering a worldwide contemporary“hymn writing explosion” overthe last quarter century. Hymnsshould also be connected “to theneeds of the real world,” he says.

Deeper than that, “it’s impor-tant to be careful how we speakto and about God,” adds Wren, aminister of the United ReformedChurch of Great Britain, now liv-ing in Maine. “Part of the prob-lem with traditional ‘God-lan-guage’ is that many people claimfinal and complete authority forit,” he says. “We should worship God, not ourlanguage about God.”

Wren seeks words that “offer vivid pictures ofthe divine mystery” because “no one picture isadequate.”

And he minces no words about inclusive language. “Does our worship language makepeople visible or invisible?” he asks. “Thosewho use the outdated language of ‘man’ and‘men’ to mean ‘humankind/ humans in general’choose to use language that makes women andchildren invisible. “God made humankind maleand female, jointly, in the divine image (Genesis1:27).”

Wren has visited many churches, colleges and

seminaries as a lecturer and workshop leader increative worship, hymn-writing technique andcontent, and use of language.

“My calling as a lyricist — a church minstrel— is to listen and help others put their needsinto song,” he says. “I started writing when I was

serving a congregation — to meetneeds.”

Words in lyrics become evenmore important, he says, whenworship leaders realize that musicembeds them in the memory ofsingers, especially those whohave developed familiarity withsongs through repeated use.

“If you’ve sung jingles, youknow the power of what I’m talk-ing about. Music brings backwords. They’re encoded withmusic, allowing quick recall thatcan sustain us in crisis. What wesing can shape our faith and helpit grow.”

Contemporary hymns fromacross the world enrich faithdevelopment and worship, hesays. “There’s a welcome willing-ness to look beyond pale-facedNorth America, to listen to songs

from other places and sing them. That puts us intouch with other people and cultures.”

Singing together can unite Christians, Wrenbelieves, “because it says, ‘We agree not to com-pete but to blend our voices’ — a simple butimportant way of saying, ‘We agree to love andbelong to each other.’ ”

And it can bring body and spirit into harmony.“We can’t just sing from the neck up,” he

says. “When we sing with a full heart and voice,our bodies are committed.

“And — as the body is — so the spirit is aptto be.”

— By Robert O’Brien, freelance writer, Rich-mond, Va.

Brian Wren Puts Human Needs Into Song

Music Can CureWhat Freezes Us

Music can “unfreeze”the minds of Parkin-

son’s disease patients —and church-goers, saysBrian Wren. “It has ameaning and power of itsown, and the brain per-ceives it as free-flowingmovement,” he explains.

Music can bypass dam-aged brain connectionsand transform manypatients from a frozenParkinsonian state to amoving, speaking state forsome time.

“It can do that less dramatically for us all,”says Wren.

“Music lifts from ourfrozen mental habits andmakes our minds move increative ways — stimulat-ing intellect and emotions,expressing belief, transmit-ting theology, lifting andinspiring the human spirit,and drawing people intothe fellowship of God.” ■

Baptist Hymnal Texts by Wren

“Christ Is Alive” (173)

“This Is a Day of NewBeginnings” (370)

“I Come With Joy to MeetMy Lord”(371)

“There’s a Sprit in the Air”(393)

“When Christ Was LiftedFrom the Earth” (562)

A MODERN-DAY MINSTREL:Songwriter and lyricist Brian

Wren uses inclusive language and

modern-day needs to build wor-

ship into his songwriting. Photo

courtesy of Baptist Theological

Seminary at Richmond.

F a i t h F o r m a t i o n

Choosing theRight Hymnal

Since music is such anintegral part of wor-

ship for most CBF church-es, selecting a hymnal thatwill meet the worshipneeds of a congregationcan be an awesomeresponsibility.

Paul Richardson, pro-fessor of music at SamfordUniversity, suggests thefollowing steps to makethe process easier:

• Think of the hymnalas a resource for worship,not a collection of music.

• Obtain and respect-fully consider congrega-tional input early in theprocess.

• Develop criteriaaround needs and purpos-es the hymnal is to serve.

• Rank criteria as (1)essential, (2) desirable, (3)peripheral.

• Communicate withother congregations abouttheir experiences, both inselecting and using partic-ular hymnals.

• Include hymnal pur-chase in the congregation-al budget to broaden thesense of ownership.

• Promote individualpurchase for devotionaluse of the hymnal selected.

• Dedicate the hymnalas an act of worship.

• In early use, employmore familiar hymns,branching out to demon-strate newer materialsalong the way.

Excerpted from a longerarticle, available in theForum area at www.cbfon-line.org. ■

oNE OF THEbest-known and most prolific con-

temporary hymn writers,Brian Wren doesn’t set out towrite about world issues.

But they surface in thetexts of the poet-theologian-hymn-writer and includeecology and stewardship ofthe earth, social justice andpeace-making.

When asked why he tack-les such issues he answerswith a metaphor. “In mymind’s eye, I imagine step-ping outside a safe house ofprayer and standing barefooton the concrete in the drive-way,” he says.

“The ‘concrete’ in earth’s‘driveway’ has stains on it —grease stains, representingpollution of the earth; blood-stains, where innocents havebeen murdered and faithfulwitnesses have been mar-tyred,” he says.

“There are cracks in theconcrete, and beyond it arepatches of green where ourbare feet can feel the wetgrass, and give thanks for allliving things.

“When I go outside, Istand on the concrete, on thegrease-stains, on the blood-stains, on the grass, and prayto God, lament with God, orpraise God. The issues thatsurface in our lyrics depend on where, and how,we are willing to go barefoot.”


f !

Wren Goes ‘Barefoot’ to Find ‘Stains on Earth’s Driveway’

F e l l o w s h i p F a r e

fe l l owsh ip ! J u n e 2 0 0 014

The following sound bites arefrom a recent seminar inRaleigh, N.C., led by Bill Easumand Tom Bandy, co-authors ofGrowing Spiritual Redwoods:

Easum• One key question

church leaders must askthemselves:

“What is it about my experience with Jesus that this community cannot livewithout?”

• On what he’s learnedfrom five years of work onLeadership on the OtherSide, due out later this year:

“Every time I discovered alaw of lead-ership, itchanged.There are nomore laws ofleadership.”Instead,there areclues toleadership,

but they are “hidden in thehearts of spiritualists and mys-tics who avoid our churcheslike the plague. . . . ”

• On characteristics ofpastors under age 30 whoare leading growingchurches:

“These pastors don’t buildchurches. They live to trans-form individuals and society.”They are focused on Jesus, butflexible about everything else.“When they hear, ‘We’ve neverdone it that way before,’ they

know that’s the way it’s got tobe done. It’s like waving a redflag in front of a bull.”

• On church leadership:Clergy should

spend less time on pas-toral care and more onequipping churchmembers to ministerto one another. Laityshould discover God’scalling and live outtheir gifts rather thantrying to “run thechurch.”

“Lay people are the heart ofthe church if they’re not incommittee meetings. If they’rein committee meetings, they’renot worth squat. No onecomes to Christ in committeemeetings.”

Bandy • On “demythologizing”

five myths of worship asone of the key “leveragepoints” for introducingneeded change:

(1) The “myth of reasonablereligion,” which tries to“explain gratuitous evil andrationalize grace,” causeswordy worship. Instead, wor-ship should open worshippersto “the mysteriousness of Godthat exceeds our efforts todefine it.”

(2) The “myth of the con-trollable Holy” makes worshippredictable. Instead, make wor-ship unpredictable.

(3) The “myth of therapeu-tic process,” which makes wor-

ship an extension of pastoralcare, can cause healthy peopleto avoid churches.

(4) The “myth of progres-sive justice” makes worshippassive. This results in peoplebelieving that if they do theright things then God will keepthem from dangers like cancer.

(5) The “myth ofheavenly favors” leadspeople to believe thatworship is only for theinsiders of the church.

• On adult faith formation:

It is “the pivotpoint around whicheverything turns.”Growing churches

know that the youth are notthe church of tomorrow.“Adults between the ages of 18and 45 who are in a spirituallytransforming walk with Jesusare the future of the church.You transform the adults,they’ll take care of the kids.”

For the complete story go tothe 4/4/00 edition in the ABParchives via www.cbfonline.org.For more reading on this subject,CBF’s church resources coordina-tor Terry Hamrick suggests thefollowing:

Moving off the Map: A FieldGuide to Changing Congrega-tions by Thomas G. Bandy(Abingdon, 1998).

Aqua Church by LeonardSweet. (Group Publishing,1999).

Five Challenges for theOnce and Future Church byLoren B. Mead (Alban Institute,1996).

“NetResults” Journal atwww.netresults.org.

Easum and Bandy Offer Advice on Leadership

TOM BANDY

BILL EASUM

Behind the Numbers

68percent ofAfrican-Ameri-

cans are churched,compared to slightlymore than 55 percentof Anglo-Americans.

44percent ofAmericans are

unchurched.This haschanged little over thelast two decades.

50percent of menare unchurched,

compared to 39 percent of women.

55percent of liberals are

unchurched, while 47percent of moderatesand 35 percent of conservatives areunchurched.

Source: Gallup News Service

For the full article seewww.gallup.com.

New at cbfonline

P lanning some vacationtime before or after

the 2000 General Assem-bly—or still thinking aboutgoing? We’ve added a linkin our General Assemblysection to a site loadedwith information aboutthings to see and do inOrlando. http://www.cbfon-line.org/community/ga2000/index.cfm

Click on “OrlandoAttractions.”

Figures, Facts & Stats


F e l l o w s h i p F a r e

Class Notes

At BTSR

Baptist TheologicalSeminary at Rich-

mond (BTSR) has begun anew distance educationprogram that projects fivecourses this fall and atleast three more nextspring.

For more informationvisit BTSR’s web site atwww.cbfonline.org or call(888) 339-2877.

Isam E. Ballenger,veteran missions educatorand administrator, is act-ing dean of the faculty,succeeding G.ThomasHalbrooks, who is nowpresident of ColegateRochester DivinitySchool/Crozer Theologi-cal Seminary.

At IBTS

International BaptistTheological Seminary

library has gone online.This collection of 60,000volumes is the largestEnglish-language theologi-cal library on the main-land of continentalEurope.

Davorlin Peterlin hasresigned as pro-rector,academic dean and direc-tor of Biblical studies “forpersonal and family rea-sons. . . .”

At Truett

Bradley Creed hasresigned as dean of

the divinity school toreturn to full-time teaching.

Mainstream BaptistsForm National Network

SLIGHTLY MORE THAN100 representatives from 15

states met in Atlanta recently toparticipate in a “mainstreamBaptist consultation.”

They adopted the label“mainstream” to signal theiradherence to what they call his-torical/traditional Baptist beliefs.The group also believes thelabel sets them apart from othermore conservative Baptists.

They disavowed any interestin forming a national conven-tion or a way of regaining con-trol of the SBC and made itclear that the network is not acompetitor to CBF.

Daniel Vestal, CBF’s coordi-nator, who attended several ses-sions of the consultation, wassupportive of the group. “CBFhas thrived in states wherethere has been a presencespeaking to freedom and Baptistprinciples,” he says.

First Baptist AthensSevers Ties With SBC

THE HISTORIC FIRSTBaptist Church of Athens,

Ga., has voted to sever ties with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Church members voted 285-28 at a recent church confer-ence to discontinue affiliation.

The 800-member, 170-year-old congregation had belongedto the SBC since the conven-tion’s founding in Augusta, Ga.,in 1845.

The break follows a two-yearstudy, which concluded thechurch and denomination hadbeen moving apart since thelate 1970s.

Differences cited by churchmembers included pastoralauthority, academic freedom atseminaries and the role ofwomen. The church “stronglyfavors” the priesthood of allbelievers, free academic inquiryand women’s ordination.

CBF Co-SponsorsJubilee 2000

WHEN LEADERS OFthe World Bank and

International Monetary Fundprepared to meet in Washing-ton recently, several thousandpeople, including three CBFrepresentatives, formed ahuman chain around the Capi-tol building to show support ofdebt relief for the world’s poor-est countries.

The three CBF representa-tives were Lonnie and FranTurner, missionaries to theWashington diplomatic com-munity, and Ben Bryant,research, development andoperations analyst in Atlanta.

The event and a precedingrally on the Mall were spon-sored by Jubilee 2000/USA, anational coalition of religious,labor and social justice groupsthat urges international debtrelief as a millennial gift to poorcountries, allowing them topour more money into socialservices. CBF was a co-sponsor,contributing $500 to the effort.

“Participating in Jubilee2000 is an intentional efforttoward a holistic model ofChristian discipleship,” saysCBF coordinator Daniel Vestal.“It is the way of Jesus.”

“We want to help our broth-ers and sisters of the ThirdWorld overcome the almostinsurmountable challenges theyface in the new century,” addsGary Baldridge, CBF’s globalmissions co-coordinator.

A MOMENT OF JUBILATION:Lonnie Turner (left) and Ben

Bryant present CBF’s check for

$500 to support Jubilee 2000 to

Jo Marie Griesgraber, co-chair of

the Jubilee 2000/USA committee.

Photo by Ben Bryant.

DISTANCE LEARNING: Jim

Peak (left) who directs the dis-

tance education program, and

Israel Galindo, Richmond execu-

tive director of educational con-

sultants, display some of the

equipment to be used in the new

distance education program of

BTSR. Photo courtesy of BTSR

P. O. Box 450329Atlanta, GA 31145-0329

Address Service Requested

Only a Free Press Can Serve God

fIFTY YEARS AGO, JANUARY OF1950, to be exact, I accepted my first posi-tion as a “religious” journalist in the South-

ern Baptist Convention. I place quotes around“religious” because journalism is journalism,whether with a daily newspaper or with aBaptist publication. The major differ-ence is most religious journalistshave a sense of calling to work intheir areas.

I had worked in my teens as areporter for a small daily newspa-per under my editor father, had edit-ed a weekly newspaper while serving in the ArmyAir Corps during World War II, and had secureda degree in journalism from Baylor University. ButI was still in for some surprises when I observedBaptist journalism up close and personal.

The first surprise, even disappointment, camein discovering how fearful the religious press wasof reporting all the truth. Controversy, theyfeared, might be divisive. Maybe I shouldn’t havebeen surprised, as most editors were former pas-tors who had worked hard to keep controversy incheck within their congregations.

Another reason I should not have been sur-prised was I had seen my editor father wrestlingwith some of the same fears. In the late 1930s,our county in Kentucky was adrift in illegal gam-bling. My father once told me, “I could blow thistown wide open over this gambling.” And thepaper never, in news or editorials, attacked the

corruption.Giving in to their fears was justified by the

Baptist editors, I suppose, by the rationalizationthat one was serving God and protecting a peopleunable to handle all the truth.

Baptist publications in the early 1950s seemedto have only two roles in which they functionedwell: leading the fight in keeping church and stateseparate, and indoctrinating members with thedenomination’s positions. In time, however, a few

editors became champions of informing thepeople with a strengthened emphasis on

the news. Baptist Press began to floweras a budding news service. Editors alsoopened pages to dialogue with readers.

I lived to see a free press come intoits own, to see Baptist Press honored bythe secular press as one of the finest of its

kind, and to see Baptists mature in their ability tohandle difficult issues. I witnessed denominationalleaders concerned primarily with getting the truthtold, not putting their “spin” on the facts. South-ern Baptists flourished in this new climate ofopenness.

I have also lived to see the cycle return to con-trol and fear and manipulation. A controlled andmanipulated press may, in the short run, serve theinstitution, but only a free press — religious orsecular — serves God. As Jesus said, “I am theway, the truth and the life.” When the press is notfree, the truth is not found and the true Spirit ofChrist is denied.

— By Walker Knight, founding editor, BaptistsToday and former editor, Home Missions Magazine.

*This editorial is excerpted from a longer article.To read the full text, see our web site at www.cbfonline.org. Click on Forum.

Coming Attractions

June 29–July 1 General Assembly Orlando, FL Location: Orange CountyConvention CenterTheme: Living MissionsContact: Connections(800) 262-9974 for hotel reservations; Boehm TravelCompanies, (888) 383-5816for discounted flights andauto rentals.

July 10–15 15th Annual SummerConference, Wake ForestUniversityWinston-Salem, N.C.Sponsor: Baptist PeaceFellowship of North AmericaTheme: On Earth As It Is InHeavenLeaders: Rebeca Mon-temayor, Bill Leonard, KenMedema, Kate CampbellRegistration Fees: $100 ($55 for spouse, partner,student, low income)Contact: BPF at(704)521-6051 or<[email protected]>

June 28-30, 2001 General Assembly,AtlantaLocation: Georgia WorldCongress Center

For a complete schedule

of events, visit our web

site at www.cbfonline.org

Viewpoint

Documents

2000 June