A Gentle Giant Gone to Glory

Marvin B. Loeb went home to be with his Savior and Lord Jesus Christ on February 11, 2008. Marvin was such an inspiration and leader to the Deaf Community across Texas and in Southern Baptist life. He served as the Treasurer to the Texas Baptist Conference for the Deaf for many years and Deacon at the Silent Friends Chapel for 33 years. May the God of all Comfort and Peace demonstrate His love to all of us that were blessed to know him during this time of grief. Marvin was born on July 25, 1939 in Chicago, IL. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Dianne Loeb, daughters and sons-in-law, Allison & Aric Randolph and Laura & Dirk Hill; his grandchildren, Jordan, Caleb, Dakota, and Lexi. He walked with the Lord daily and cared for the Deaf Community deeply. He will be missed by all that loved him.

In memory of our dear brother Marvin, you can donate money to the following to honor his legacy:

Texas Baptist Deaf Youth Camp
c/o New Life Deaf Fellowship
6917 Brentwood Stair Road
Fort Worth, TX 76112
or
Silent Friends Chapel
c/o First Baptist Church
1707 San Jacinto
Dallas, Tx 75201

BGCT partners with Amachi to help children of inmates

Amachi Texas and the Baptist General Convention of Texas are partnering to change the lives of children of incarcerated family members.

Nearly 400,000 Texas children have a parent in prison or on parole or probation. Those young people have a 70% likelihood of going to prison without some kind of positive intervention. Studies show that mentoring works to undo what seems inevitable.

“This partnership will provide a continuum of service to these children and their families through hope and friendship,” said Amachi Texas Statewide Executive Director Olivia Eudaly. “We feel very fortunate to band together with such a powerful voice in the faith-based community.”

Through the partnership, the Baptist General Convention of Texas will recruit churches that will provide volunteer mentors for young people. Amachi Texas, an initiative of the governor’s office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Texas Workforce Commission and the OneStar Foundation, will train those volunteers in how to properly and effectively mentor young people.

Research indicates after 18 months with a mentor, young people were 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27 percent less likely to start using alcohol and 52 percent less likely to skip school.

“By partnering with Amachi Texas, Texas Baptists have the opportunity to change the lives of youth across Texas,” said Gerald Davis, BGCT community development specialist. “The positive influence of one person can radically alter the direction of the life of a student.”

Deaf Deacon Hears and Meets Their Needs

It was an historic moment in the 60 year history of the Deaf Ministry at the First Baptist Church Texarkana and in the life of Terry Tribble and his wife Debbie. Terry was one of thirteen Deacons to be ordained at FBC Texarkana and the first Deaf Deacon to be ordained at the church. The service was held at FBC Texarkana during their Wednesday night service on January 30th, 2008. Dr. Jeff Schreve is the Pastor and he too was delighted to charge these Deacons with their Godly duty and responsibilities. It was also a memorable moment for the Deaf Community across Texas to see that God has not forgotten them as He continues to call forth Leaders and Servants to meet needs in the Deaf Community. Terry Tribble and his lovely wife have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord through meeting needs in the Deaf Community. Terry and Debbie are former members of the Silent Friends Chapel at First Baptist Dallas and have been serving in the Deaf work at First Baptist Texarkana for the past six years. Terry and Debbie are viewed as “the best huggers and hand-shakers” as they greet people at the church each Sunday says Dr. Larry Sims, Associate Pastor – FBC Texarkana. Terry is called on to make home and hospital visits to the Deaf Congregation. He also visits the Deaf Widows. It makes a difference to the Deaf when one of their own shows up to minister to them in their time of need. Dr. Rolf Wylie, Deaf Interpreter congratulates Terry and his wife on this special occasion. The couple was also presented a plaque from the Local Transformational Missions office of the Baptist General Convention of Texas for their dedication and service to the Deaf Community. May the Hand of God remain upon this couple as they live out their life of service to the Lord and the Deaf Community.

The Value of Mentoring

Plain and simple: mentoring works. While connecting to others is most important for children, everyone needs relationships. They need those relationships to be healthy (mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually), happy and connected to their communities and our world.

People, no matter what their age, are hardwired by God to connect to one another. But children must have these connections affirmed and encouraged at a young age to develop into productive, contributing members of a family, community and country. Leonard Sweet makes the point in “The Gospel According to Starbucks” (pages 139-155) that as we are described in the Bible as “one body,” God intended for us to be inter-dependent on each other.

“Hardwired to Connect: The New Scientific Case for Authoritative Communities: A Report to the Nation” (New York: Institute for American Values, 2003) edited by Kathleen Kovner Kline reported the findings of a study that included a partnership of the YMCA of the USA, Dartmouth Medical School and the Institute for American Values. The report concluded that human beings are actually hardwired to form relationships. Robert A. Boisture summarized the study in the following ways:

Read on…

A Deeper Insight- Could the Dream be Shalom?

“I Have A Dream”, by Martin Luther King, Jr. is the historic speech that was delivered by him on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on August 28, 1963. Could Dr. King have been purporting Shalom, the world as God intended it to be? He says “I have a dream that one day this nation will live out the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal. A day when even the state of Mississippi, a state of injustice and oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. A day when his four children will not be judge by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. He sees a day when the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. He says that this is our hope that we will realize a day of freedom, a day of justice, a day when we can all join together in a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. Certainly Dr. King must have had Shalom in mind.

Read on…

Ministry Spotlight:

The Ronald Edwards Computer Learning Center

The Minnehulla Baptist Church has established the Ronald Edwards Computer Learning Center in memory of their Pastor Ronald Edwards. One of last projects that Pastor Edwards was working on prior to his death was to be able to serve the Goliad Community via a Computer Learning Center and After School Program. A dedication service was held Sunday, December 16th where the congregation participated in dedicating the lab and ministry to the Lord and they symbolically presented the lab to their former Pastor as a Christmas gift. The Computer Center consists of 12 computer workstations and will be internet accessible. The Local Transformational Missions of BGCT is working with the Minnehulla Computer Center Committee to train teachers for the computer classes and to help them launch the community based ministry.

Watch the Minnehula Computer Lab Dedication Video.