Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Texan

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Houston church plant reaching medical complex employing 75,000 people Norm Miller \| TEXAN Correspondent HOUSTON—Landon Hays, son of SBTC church planters Ben and Kelli Hays, was born with a rare liver disease. And the place where the family found a remedy for Landon and experienced a call to plant a church is one and the same—Houston’s Medical Center. Officially known as The Medical Center, the city within a city is the world’s largest concentration of medical providers, employing some 75,000 people. “We spent the first year of Landon’s life in and out of hospitals, and we were sort of immersed in this really busy community. We were focused on our chil... Read More
Pondering Christmas Special to the Southern Baptist TEXAN Dr. Steve Washburn, Pastor, FBC Pflugerville ... Read More	Z-Leader to help pastors find context for effective local church ministry Jerry Pierce \| Managing Editor The SBTC is offering a leadership development course to help pastors lead their congregations to minister within their church’s cultural context. Called Z-Leader, the course includes a 12-week online study and a personal coach who will interact periodically with the pas... Read More
SBTC aids in Burma relief Jerry Pierce \| Managing Editor A relief effort funded partly by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention in Burma (also called Myanmar) has resulted in the construction or repair of 15 Baptist churches, about 70 fishing boats and nets purchased for villagers, and discipleship training for dozens of pastors and laymen. A ... Read More	Jonathan Falwell among guests at Empower Evangelism Conference TEXAN Staff Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., and successor to his father, the late Jerry Falwell, will be among the preachers and speakers at the 2009 Empower Evangelism Conference Feb. 16-18 at First Baptist Church of Euless. The theme for the 2009 co... Read More
Woman’s abortion experience leads to redemption, help for other women Tammi Reed Ledbetter \| News Editor “When someone is in danger or pain, it is the nature of one who considers life valuable and worthy to go and rescue,” explained Pat Layton, author of a newly released Bible study for women who are dealing with the post-traumatic stress of abortion. “There has been a crisis g... Read More	All charities are not created equal Gary Ledbetter \| Editor A recent National Public Radio story says that President-elect Obama will stop allowing Christian organizations that receive federal money for benevolent work to hire only Christians. The Bush administration allowed participants in the faith-based initiatives program an exemption from... Read More
College Station couple helping Salvadoran orphans find hope, love of Jesus Christ Emily Crutcher \| TEXAN Correspondent Amid the scenic beauty of El Salvador, Robert and Ann Horton, members of Central Baptist Church in College Station, are working to alleviate human suffering among children victimized by the ugly, crime-ridden side of the Central American country. Robert Horton, a homebuilder, t... Read More	‘Discovery Day’ encourages Bible study outreach TEXAN staff For the third straight year, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is encouraging churches to participate in “Discovery Day,” an SBTC initiative to increase participation in Sunday School and small-group Bible studies. The Jan. 25 emphasis combines a high attendance effort ... Read More
Downtown Dallas site of Walk for Life Jan. 17 TEXAN Staff DALLAS—The annual Dallas Walk for Life will begin at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 17 with music and a rally at a downtown Catholic church and conclude with a right-to-life lunch and information fair at First Baptist Church of Dallas. The march will include a stop at the federal courthouse, where ... Read More	Website gathering petitions against Freedom of Choice Act Jerry Pierce \| Managing Editor Americans United for Life is sponsoring an online petition in opposition to the Freedom of Choice Act, which right-to-life activists fear will become law under the Obama administration. As of Dec. 17, the petition at fightfoca.com had gathered more than 337,850 signatures. The fight... Read More
State to hear public on science standards TEXAN Staff AUSTIN—A policy requiring Texas public schools to teach the strengths and weaknesses of scientific theories, including Darwinian evolution, will come up for review as the State Board of Education (SBOE) selects science textbooks during scheduled meetings Jan. 21-23 in Austin. The boa... Read More	Texas Life Connections aims to connect churches with area pro-life ministries Staff Texas Life Connections (TLC) is a partnering ministry of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the North American Mission Board that works to connect the local church to a statewide network of Christian life-affirming ministries. These include pregnancy resource centers, post-abortion... Read More
First person: Tyler Baptists meet challenges in impoverished Malawi Tim McKeown \| TEXAN Correspondent Going to what the CIA states as the “poorest country in the world” was both a challenging and a rewarding experience. But more than anything else, this mission trip was a learning experience. On Oct. 1, nine members of Friendly Baptist Church in Tyler left for Malawi, Africa, on a 12... Read More