ST. FRANCISVILLE, La. (BP) — Ten years ago, on a beautiful Sunday morning near the shore of Lake Victoria, I was reminded again of the priority of prayer. I was visiting International Mission Board missionaries who focus on planting churches and training church leaders on the many African islands stretching across the north end of Lake Victoria.

That morning, the missionaries brought us to a church plant in a small fishing community at one end of the long, narrow island. The building where the church met was made of sticks and mud. Hardened floors and walls were made of dried manure. The pastor of this fellowship gave me the privilege of preaching to my brothers and sisters in this faith community, and I was overwhelmed by the joy of the opportunity.

The worship in song during the service was wonderful. I didn’t understand a word, so I made up my own words of praise to the Lord, joining in — as best I could — with the clapping and singing to the rhythmic beat of the drums.

Although our time of worship in song and in the Word was special, the time after the service was especially significant to me. When I expected most would leave for lunch, the people began to gather around us. Many of them fell to their knees. Some began to pray while others just gazed toward us. Our interpreter explained, “They want you to pray for them.”

In that moment, I was reminded once more of the priority of prayer. And in that moment, my heart longed for more moments like this at the end of worship services in my country. I wished that we would hunger for God more than we hungered for the Sunday lunch special at our favorite restaurant.

Source: Baptist Press

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NASHVILLE (BP) — Responding to concerns about the speakers’ lineup for the 2020 Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference, the SBC Executive Committee voted Tuesday (Feb. 18) to allocate meeting space for the event provided changes are made to the proposed program.

According to the action, the Executive Committee believes “multiple aspects” of the proposed program for the pastors’ conference “are sufficiently beyond the parameters of the faith and practice of Southern Baptists in accordance with The Baptist Faith and Message.” The action calls for “amendments” to the program to be made by Monday, Feb. 24, and approved by officers of the Executive Committee. (Full text of the action below.)
Since the program was announced earlier this month, many have voiced concerns that not all speakers were Southern Baptist and that scheduled performer Hosanna Wong, a spoken word artist, is also a teaching pastor at her non-Southern Baptist church.

Others have also been critical of the inclusion of David Hughes, pastor of Church by the Glades, a Southern Baptist congregation in Coral Springs, Fla. The church has received attention for various performances in its services, as well as sermon series with sensual themes.

Mike Stone, chairman of the Executive Committee, said the decision was reached after “lengthy deliberations” in the days since the Pastors’ Conference lineup was announced Feb. 10.

“My desire would be that there would be a change in the lineup so we can proceed in keeping with who we are as Southern Baptists,” Stone said. “I would love for that to happen.”

Pastors’ Conference president David Uth, pastor of First Baptist Orlando, has thus far declined to make lineup changes.

“My goal, my prayer was that we could open ourselves up to hear from people that maybe were good friends of ours, but not in our Southern Baptist Convention,” Uth told Baptist Press Feb. 11, in responding to initial concerns raised over the event’s lineup. “I feel like they have a message for us. I feel like God wants to speak to us through them. So my goal and my hope was that we could hear their message, we could learn from them, and we could embrace it.”

While the Executive Committee does not have oversight of the SBC Pastors’ Conference, it makes space available to hold the event each year — this year, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., where the 2020 SBC Annual Meeting will be held in June — and requests the conference to reimburse the Executive Committee for a portion of the cost to use the meeting hall and facilities. Currently, that reimbursement totals $100,000.

Source: Baptist Press

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A Christian-oriented theme park in central Florida that describes itself as “bringing the Bible to life” is laying off most of its workers.

The Holy Land Experience last week filed notice with the city of Orlando and state officials announcing it would be eliminating 118 positions. That represents most of the jobs at the theme park in Orlando’s tourist corridor.

Holy Land Experience officials said in a letter that they were shifting focus from entertainment and theatrical productions to the park’s Biblical museum. The decision will allow them to continue to receive tax breaks signed into law by former Governor Jeb Bush.

The theme park was launched in 2001 as the ministry of a Messianic Jewish church. Trinity Broadcasting Network took ownership in 2007. IRS records show a sharp decline in revenue, from $42 million in 2010 to $8 million in 2017, the most recent year available.

Theme parks officials said the layoffs would take place by mid-April. Employees will get a severance package based on their length of employment.

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