Jan
19
On December 17, 2009, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published a bulletin update reporting that adolescents perceive a greater risk to using Tobacco Products Than Illicit Drugs or Binge Drinking. Perceptions of lower risk may influence decisions to experiment with drugs.
Adolescents across all age groups perceive a greater risk to smoking cigarettes than the use of alcohol and other substances including cocaine and LSD. An individual’s perception of risk about a substance can be a key factor whether they decide to refrain from using.
Interesting facts from the report include:
- Nearly 70 percent of adolescents aged 12-17 perceived great risk from smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day. This rate was stable across age groups.
- Only 40 percent of adolescents perceived great risk from binge drinking (having five or more drinks of alcohol once or twice a week), and just over one third (34.2 percent) perceived great risk from smoking marijuana once a month. About half perceived great risk in using cocaine once a month (49.7 percent) or LSD once or twice (50.9 percent).
- Females were more likely than males to perceive great risk from smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day, from having five or more drinks of alcohol once or twice a week, and from smoking marijuana once a month; males were more likely than females to perceive great risk from trying heroin once or twice.
It is important for churches, youth groups and adults to discuss the realities and risks of substance abuse with the adolescents that we have the chance to influence.
Do Something: Substance Abuse Ministry DVD
Introducing Do Something: A Substance Abuse Ministry DVD available through the Christian Life Commission. To order, contact Alicia Enriquez at 214.828.5192, or e-mail alicia.enriquez@bgct.org. The cost is $2.
CLC Substance Abuse Ministry Podcasts
Pathways to Prevention
www.hazelden.org
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Jan
19
Living the Christian Life – 2010 Statewide Christian Life Conference
Filed Under Living the Christian Life | Leave a Comment
March 22 – 23, 2010 “Neither Need Nor Greed: Christian Stewardship of Money and Resources,”
For Christians and everyone else, money matters. Especially now, during a time of economic stress when unemployment remains high in the aftermath of a global financial crisis, we are understandably concerned with economic survival, debt, and how to best manage our resources. Yet money and finances are not just survival issues, but ethical issues as well. What we do with our money, especially when most of the world’s inhabitants have even less money than we do, is a focal point of Scripture. The Bible makes it clear that what we do with our money matters to God.
Under the theme, “Neither Need Nor Greed: Christian Stewardship of Money and Resources,” the 2010 statewide Christian Life Conference will offer practical and spiritual help for Christians regarding our use of the monetary and material resources which God has entrusted to us. As the following program listing details, very able leadership will offer wisdom, insight, and hands-on help regarding financial stewardship in the service of God’s kingdom and our own valid needs.
Conference registration is $45 ($10 for students). All sessions will be held at Calvary Baptist Church, 1600 Harvey, McAllen. Overnight accommodations are available at the Wingate by Wyndham, 1500 Wichita Avenue, adjacent to the airport. Make reservations by calling (956) 632-2000. Mention Christian Life Conference for special rates ($84, single or double). Please make reservations by February 28 to secure the conference rate. Other housing options are available on request by contacting:
Christian Life Commission
Baptist General Convention of Texas
333 N. Washington
Dallas, TX 75246-1798
(214) 828-5190
Conference Schedule
| Monday, March 22, 2010 | |
| 1:00 pm | Welcome, Introductions |
| 1:15 pm | Theme Interpretation I Ellis Orozco, Pastor First Baptist Church, Richardson |
| 1:30 pm | “Biblical Foundations–Spending, Saving, Sharing” Miguel de la Torre Iliff School of Theology, Denver |
| 2:45 pm | Break |
| 3:15 pm | “Money Smart–Never Too Late to Prosper” Eloy Villafranca, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Dallas |
| 4:30 pm | Break |
| 5:00 pm | Dinner |
| 7:00 pm | Theme Interpretation II Ellis Orozco “Better than Luck–Why the Lottery and Gambling are for Losers” Ed Ugel |
| 7:15 pm | “Tools for Financial Freedom–Credit Unions, Banks, and the New American Thrift” David Blankenhorn, Institute for American Values |
| 8:30 pm | Adjourn |
| Tuesday, March 23, 2010 | |
| 9:00 am | Theme Interpretation III Ellis Orozco |
| 9:15 am | “Two-Generation Prosperity–Providing for Parents & Kids” Don Baylor, Frances Deviney, Center for Public Policy Priorities |
| 10:30 am | Break |
| 10:45 am | “Predatory Lending and Credit Gone Bad,” Ann Baddeur |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch |
| 12:30 pm | “Christian Stewardship of Money and Resources: A Retrospective” Frank Palos, Baptist General Convention of Texas |
| 1:30 pm | Adjourn |
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Christian Life Commission
Baptist General Convention of Texas
333 N. Washington
Dallas, TX 75246-1798
(214) 828-5190
Jan
18
Good News Goods – January 2010
Filed Under Good News Goods, Good News Goods Updates | Leave a Comment
What an exciting beginning to this ministry! In November and December of 2009, 9 churches and 3 universities hosted a Good News Goods Fair Trade event. Proceeds from these events are estimated to be around $21,000, which in turn created over 4,000 hours of dignified employment for poor artisans around the world (every $5=1 hour of employment), as well as $2,000 for the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger relief and development ministries (10% of yearly proceeds are deposited into the Offering).
Here is what some ministers have to say about their Good News Goods event:
In the beautiful Christmas carol “O Holy Night,” Christians joyfully sing,
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
This year during Advent, Willow Meadows Baptist Church focused on what it means that through Christ’s birth, chains are broken, peace is ushered in, and oppression ceases. We asked ourselves how we can participate in this liberation, especially during a season that focuses not on freedom, but on consumerism. Good News Goods was the perfect complement to our Advent theme. Not only did we get to buy amazing gifts to celebrate Christ’s birth, but we also joined in with people around the world to help break the bonds of slavery and human trafficking. In essence, we had the chance to put our faith into action.
We at Willow Meadows Baptist Church loved the market because our congregation got to break chains in the name of Christ. We had members emailing all their friends (Christians and non-Christians) inviting them to the market so that their shopping could make a difference. We saw people read the stories of the artisans and understand that slavery still exists and that human trafficking is real, even in our own city of Houston.
It is our hope and plan to continue to have a Good News Goods market during both the Advent and Lenten seasons because it gives us the chance to put hands, feet, and dollars to the words that we sing. And in His name, all oppression shall cease.
Rev. Todd Ferguson
Associate Pastor for Youth and Children
Willow Meadows Baptist Church, Houston, TX
Williams Trace Baptist invested in Good News Goods because it made sense with God’s call on our lives as Christians in the market place today. We believe that in all we do, we should be trying to live out the Gospel message and this includes how we spend our money. The problem has always been we don’t have the resources to understand how to redemptively spend. Good News Goods gave our congregation a jumpstart on purchasing products that make a difference. Charlotte’s presentation during our Sunday school times and morning service gave us further insight and resources so that all of our spending can be used for good. The event was a huge success for our church and began several conversations that are ongoing about fair trade, human trafficking, and the difference we are called to make as a result of our knowledge, God’s grace and love, and our call to bring good news to the poor and oppressed. We plan on placing many products in our church bookstore and having the market at least once a year.
Griff Martin
Associate Pastor for Young Adults
Williams Trace Baptist Church, Sugarland, TX
I’m certainly happy to tell you that our people have been very receptive and supportive of the concept of Good News Goods. We used the brief video clip to introduce it and placed the business-sized cards in the offering plates, asking for people to take one and go on-line to see what might be available and make their selections accordingly. All of the cards were taken, so we ordered an additional number to be used as we repeated it the next week, also with the mini-kit of items to display from Trade-As-One. We continue to have the items on display and have the unclaimed cards available in our welcome center and various places throughout our Grand Hall area. Several people have indicated that they have made purchases on-line, including my purchases and some my wife has made. We are very pleased and thankful for the opportunity to make “redemptive purchases”!
Glenn L. Ward
Pastor
Acton Baptist Church, Acton, TX
Good News Goods brought truly good news to Second Baptist Church of Lubbock. The timing seemed providential. We had just finished a stewardship study that emphasized God’s provision and supply, and we had followed that with an Advent emphasis on giving simple gifts, so buying everyday products that would simultaneously provide economic support for folks who truly needed it encouraged us to consider our own blessings and how best to share them.
Good News Goods is a strong vehicle to raise consciousness about Third World needs and the many global hardships that people endure on a daily basis. Our congregation viewed the video clips about the individual producers of Good News Goods at our weekly Wednesday night supper, which brought the social and economic issues up close for personal observation and absorption. Our folks were then touched and inspired to participate, knowing that the funds that were raised were going to meet real needs of real people.
There is so much cynicism and skepticism in our culture these days regarding efforts to provide help through charitable and/or non-profit organizations. Good News Goods provides a way to slice through that cynicism and remind Christians how holy it feels to be part of a solution that is bigger than ourselves.
We are already looking forward to hosting our second Fair Trade Market in 2010.
Stephanie Nash
Pastor, Christian Education & Outreach
Second Baptist Church, Lubbock, TX
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Jan
18
TBOWH Updates – January 2010
Filed Under TBOWH Updates | Leave a Comment
The 2009 final numbers are in!!! $901,401 total receipts for the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger! This number reflects a $162,123 increase over 2008. Well done good and faithful Texas Baptists! Needy people all over the world have been helped because of you.
One of the examples of this help comes from Redeeming Grace Baptist Church in San Antonio where World Hunger funds were sent to their food pantry this year. Marion Thomas, a member of Redeeming Grace, told us, “After suffering a neck injury, I thought I had nothing left to give. I couldn’t sit in one place for extended periods, nor could I stand on my feet for long. I took 12 pills a day simply to make it through the pain.”
Marion decided that what she could give, she’d offer up to God by volunteering at Redeeming Grace Baptist Church. There she discovered she had much more left than she ever imagined. What began as short periods of helping in various efforts around the church evolved into full days of activity. Then it became several days a week of ministry as she started the congregation’s food distribution effort. She took small steps of faith, and she says God rewarded her for being obedient.
The first year of the outreach, the congregation provided food for about 2,000 people. As Thomas worked, she felt herself growing stronger, able to work harder and longer without pain. Two years later and pain free as the congregation’s administrator, Thomas coordinates one of the largest hunger ministries in South Central Texas, providing food for more than 35,000 people this year.
“I’m just a living witness when you give yourself to Christ and you help other people, He will help you,” she said of the healing she has experienced as she has served others.
For thousands across South Central Texas, Thomas’ commitment to serve was a God-send before they knew they’d need it. When the economy crashed this year and more people became down on their luck, Redeeming Grace Baptist Church’s volunteer base and financial resources already had to grown to the point that the congregation was there for them.
Some people drive more than 50 miles to get food from the church. Individuals who line up an hour before food is distributed tell stories of losing their jobs, of working but not being able to support their families or of being homeless. One person came to church after not eating for three days, begging volunteers for anything to eat, even cat food. Many who come to the church for sustenance are elderly. Many others are single parents who come to the church with young children in tow.
The congregation’s desire to feed the hungry embodies the spirit of Texas Hope 2010, an initiative of Texas Baptists to pray for others, care for people in need and share the gospel with every Texan by Easter 2010. Redeeming Grace Christian Church recently was selected to receive a $10,000 Texas Hope 2010 Care Grant through the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger.
“It’s a very difficult time for people,” said Bishop Brent Bryant, Sr., the church’s senior pastor. “I’m hearing all kinds of stories, all kinds of issues that are happening. I understand that because of our economy. People are hungry, so we’re doing the very best we can by offering them food.”
The first 5th Sunday Observance for World Hunger will be January 31. New video clip highlighting water wells in Peru available for free download.
Download Video
Take an offering at your church on January 31…many will live because you do.
Donate now!
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Jan
18
Capital Punishment
In 2003, after two years of study, the Christian Life Commission released a report called Christians and Capital Punishment (pdf) (view summary pdf) that called for a moratorium on the death penalty in Texas. Since that time the CLC has advocated for many policies related to capital punishment including the addition of the life without parole sentencing option and the creation of an innocence commission to study what went wrong in the cases where individuals have been exonerated. In December, the Texas Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty released its annual report of developments (pdf) related to the death penalty in Texas. Among the findings, the report shows that there were just eight new individuals sentenced to death in 2009, the lowest since the court reinstated the death penalty in 1976 and down from a high of 48 in 1999. The report shows that once again Texas accounted for half of all executions nationwide. Since 1982 this state has executed a total of 447 people and 11 Texans have been exonerated from death row. There are currently 322 men and 10 women on death row in Texas. The Reverend Carroll Pickett, who served as chaplain for death row for nearly 16 years and witnessed 95 executions, was at the press conference releasing the report. Rev. Pickett was the subject of the award winning 2008 documentary “At the Death House Door”. Anyone interested in this issue, whether for against capital punishment, should find a copy of this film.
View Christians and Capital Punishment (pdf)
View Summary of Christians and Capital Punishment (pdf)
View Death Penalty Developments in 2009 (pdf)
Payday Loans
The number of payday loans in Texas has exploded. However, many Texans don’t know what payday loans are let alone why they can be a problem for some people. Payday loans are small dollar loans with enormously high service fees that offer instant cash with no credit checking.
The following scenario is an example of how typical payday loans operate and how they can lead to trouble. Let’s say that a single mother has a car in need of repair. The bill is $300, but she only has $150 until her next pay check and she has no credit card or her credit card is maxed out. She writes a check to a payday lender for $361.07 ($300 principle loan, plus $1.07 interest, and a $60.00 service fee). The payday lender promises to hold the check for 2-3 weeks until she gets paid again. The mother now has two options. The next payday, she will either pay off her $361.07 debt in cash or she will allow the payday lender to cash the check. She cannot pay it off in installments; she must pay it in full. If she doesn’t have $361.07 in two weeks, the check will bounce incurring penalty fees from both the bank and the lender. To avoid the penalties, she rolls over the original loan and pays an additional $60.00 loan fee. If the loan was paid off after the second pay period, a $300 loan would generate $121.07 in profit.
Payday lenders mostly serve families with moderate- and low- incomes. In a recent survey, the majority of payday borrowers earn an income of $30,000 or less. One in ten payday borrowers use them monthly. 58% of people who use a payday loan roll over the loan at least once, while one in four payday borrowers roll them over multiple times. Most payday loans are used for recurring expenses of basic needs like rent, utilities, and food. Payday loans generate profit by creating a cycle of debt.
Attempts have been made in Texas to more tightly regulate payday lenders. The Texas Finance Code sets restrictions on fees and payment periods. Yet, many lenders operate as Consumer Service Organizations in an effort to avoid regulation. CSOs register with the Secretary of State but are not regulated by or required to obtain a license from the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner. This business model sidesteps many state regulations on the books.
The Christian Life Commission views predatory lending in the same category as predatory gambling. Both prey on vulnerable populations for profit. The CLC will be researching legislation that may better regulate payday loans in order to decrease predatory lending in Texas. In addition, the CLC is working with coalition partners to promote alternative small dollar loan products – products that help families get out of debt rather than perpetuate a cycle of debt. Payday loans and other predatory practices will be discussed at the CLC Annual Conference, March 22-23. The conference will focus on ways to establish a healthy life of thrift in relation to the call of Christian stewardship.
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Jan
18
A Word From Suzii – Joe Haag honored for his service to the CLC
Filed Under Director's Column | 1 Comment
Rich legacy is a characteristic of the CLC. This legacy of value has been carried throughout the history of the CLC by its leaders. So, it is with honor and respect that we celebrate the retirement of Joe Haag on January 31. His faithful service represents a major contribution to the character, quality and excellence of the CLC. He has served as an exemplary and thoughtful voice and faithful leader for the CLC. Although the pace of his service to the CLC will change with this step into retirement, he will continue to be associated with the CLC on a part time basis as a writer.
On January 22, during the Christian Life Commission meeting in Dallas, there will be a luncheon honoring Joe. This day we will have an opportunity to celebrate the biblical insight and clear thinking that have shaped many of the major emphases of the Christian Life Commission over the past 32 years. Joe has helped Texas Baptists follow Christ faithfully and discern rightly. As he has written for the CLC, “As we surrender our lives to God’s purposes, God changes us. …following Christ requires discernment. The better we understand the issues which frame our lives, the better our chances of following Christ faithfully.” In surrendering his life to Christ in service, Joe has pointed us towards discernment and faith.
Let me remind you of a few contributions from Joe’s hand with the following excerpts from his writing:
– “To follow Christ means that we allow his life to gain leverage against our lives. Against our lust for power, he endures the cross. Against our pride and arrogance, he washes the disciples feet. Against our upward mobility, he brings good news to the poor…Against all lies which enslave us, he tells the truth which sets us free.”
A Covenant of Ministry – “ The context of ministry is the covenant community, which is literally the people of God created and sustained in covenant…That God’s covenant community is the context for ministry shapes our understanding of ministry and ministerial ethics in several ways: First, ministry is rightly described in plural rather than singular modifiers; ministry is ours, not mine. Secondly, ministry presupposes trusting relationships. ..we subordinate personal agendas to building up the whole Body. “
Hunger & Poverty – “The witness of scripture to Jesus’ followers regarding hunger and poverty begins with Jesus himself. According to the gospel of Luke, Jesus’ inaugural sermon at Nazareth sounds an unmistakable theme which runs through the gospel: “…he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. ..The unique witness of each of the Gospels makes it clear that the ministry of Jesus was bound inextricably to his love for the hungry multitudes about whom Mark remarked in his preface to the feeding of the five thousand, “he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”
Charity and Justice – “The Bible calls us to charity, but charity is not the same as justice. Charity involves voluntary generosity, but biblical justice requires systematic and structural righteousness for all people, and particularly for the most vulnerable people in society. Although charitable giving can provide an important complement to a community that has a fair tax structure, charitable giving alone cannot raise adequate revenue to meet community needs. For the sake justice, we must we must use the arm of the law to compel the payment of taxes and tax policy must be tested by standards of justice….Charity and justice are both pillars of righteousness, but an abundance of charity does not substitute for the absence of justice.”
Religious Liberty – “Baptists who appreciate the dear costs which our forebears paid to establish and defend religious liberty and separation of church and state cannot regard threats ( to religious liberty) casually. Rather, we must act decisively to understand, claim, and share our own ecclesiastical legacy… (we must) tell the truth about the unprecedented birth and protection of religious liberty in American life as clearly and forcefully as possible. “
The Nature of an Environmental Ethic – The…notion that the world was created for humans to conquer and to exploit finds its logical bearing not in scripture but in the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution….Confident scientists and engineers saw themselves exercising their God-given right to command and control the world, and business took full advantage…W.P. Rend, 1892 says “ Smoke is the incense burning on the alter of industry. It is beautiful to me. It shows that men are changing the merely potential forces of nature into articles of comfort for humanity.” This anthropocentric orientation collides with the theocentric bearing of scripture..in which God creates, blesses and calls forth humans in God’s image to share in the stewardship of creation. ..creation is a garden which God expects humans to tend.”
Christ in you the hope of glory – “ If Christ is in us, we are possessed by the One who brings good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed, fellowship with the sinners, touch for the untouchables, and welcome to the strangers. Christ in us IS the hope of glory precisely because and only if the One who indwells us is in fact the Christ who appears to us so brilliantly in the Gospels and in the faces of the world’s poor and destitute.”
It seems like there should be some new 21st century word for retirement since there is so much accomplished for so many in the chapters beyond fulltime work. We expect to be the beneficiaries of Joe’s added time for reading, writing , and reflection. So in anticipation we can say – “For all that has been thanks; for all that shall be yes.” Joe will continue to be loved and respected by the entire CLC family.
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.