5B
RELIGIONAEfte C^rlotte $ot
Thursday. January 19, 2006
Missions, studies part of student life
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPRINGFIELD. Mo. - As a
longtime youth pastor, Steve
Shoop watched high-school
ers find their calling while
participating in short mission
trips.
But Shoop, who has worked
since 1998 as a full-time mis
sionary in Panama, said he
had nothing to oflfer when the
students would say that they
WEUited to return and do
something for the people
where they had been.
‘It was watching students
cry as I sent them home,” he
said.
The search for a prc^am
that would fill this need —
allowing students to pursue a
call to mission while earning
an education — was realized
this week when seven stu
dents began classes through
a new two-year missions pro
gram at Evangel University
Called UltimateAIM, par
ticipants work with a mis
sionary and study language
at a local university They
also complete Evangel cours
es online and must spend one
week attending classes and
speaking about their mission
work at the Springfield
school.
Tlie program is a joint efibrt
of the Assemblies of God’s
Ambassadors In Mission pro
gram for youth. Evangel Uni
versity and Shoop.
Shoop, 46, gushed about a
conference call Monday that
included the students and
their teachers at Evangd.
“It’s happening,” Shoop said
fix)m Guadalajara, Mexico,
where he is helping the stu
dents get situated. “It’s no
longer just a dream.”
Shoop pitched his idea else
where before Evangel’s Linda
Wellborn expressed interest.
“Young people are con
cerned about world need,”
said Wellborn, director of
graduate and professional
studies at Evangel, who
developed, an online degree
program for UltimateAIM.
“This is a way to combine
that humanitarian concern
and an education.”
The first class includes six
students who are in Guadala
jara. A seventh student,
Chelsea Belgard of North
Dakota, will soon leave for
China, where she plans to
study Chinese, teach English
and begin her life as a mis
sionary
Her interest was sparked
by a short mission trip to
China she went on with her
parents two years ago.
“My parents say it’s OK as
lor^ as it’s under Evangel,”
said the 16-year-old, who fin
ished high school a year early
Four more students are
expected this summer, and
nearly 20 students edready
have begun the application
process for next fall. The
number of possible destina
tions also is expected to
expand.
Shoop said missionaries
fi*om Ecuador, Hong Kong,
Hungary, South Afiica and
Sudan have expressed inter
est.
The program is funded in
part by a $2 million Lilly
Endowment grant to the uni
versity aimed at combining
faith and vocation.
‘We have to have something
to take to the people we are
reaching,” said Linda Well
born. “That’s the future of
When it’s news to
you, read it in
C(atlotte
The voice of
The black community
missions.
On the Net:
Evangel University:
wwwje\'angel£du/
Take the time to relax and recharge
By Ann G. Harris
THE IRIANGLE 7RIBUNE
Do you find yourself stop
ping in the middle of a sen
tence only to forget what you
were going to say? Perhaps at
a moment’s notice you foi^t
the name of a special fiiend or
acquaintance, but you are
sure that it is a familiar face?
Or have you ever misplaced
your passes, or a set of keys,
only to find them in a very
strange place - like the refiig-
erator or in a box?
If you have, it means that
your mind is in overdrive and
it is time to rest. These situa
tions are just a few of the
unnecessary rituals that we
put our bodies through simply
because we do not takp the
time to rest, reflect j^yid allow;i|
the world to be about its busi-*^
ness. We are involved in foo ?
many issues instead of carry
ing out one thing at a time.
At any age, we can become
overwhelmed, overworked
and overly stressed, causing
us to temporarily forget
important nuggets of informa
tion. It is as if the body is say
ing “no more” and “slow
down.”
The Bible shares a hint of
Jesus’ everyday life - one we
should emulate. Jesus had
many responsibilities, but He
had a soft spoken demeanor.
While preaching or teaching.
He never yelled, and He never
foig;ot what He was doing. He
spent time praying and
reflecting, working and being
the very best He could be,
Jesus helped others in their
plights without overly stress
ing and fi^tting. It was unnec
essary to exert abnormal
amounts of activity to get peo
ple to understand, and it was
to work to a
h^int of adiaustion to
hH^anpiisnii/task. Tbday and
in our time, it is still unneces
sary to overdo, but somehow
it seems almost impossible to
slow the pace of Hfe.
When we are overwhelmed.
it causes the body to respond
in hi^ gear and fight to keep
the metabolism running
smoothly Think about it, our
bodies take a lot of abuse by
the junk foods we consume;
the excessive noises; the lads
of exercise; the unpleasant
environment, e.g., smoke and
other fumes. Even the types of
things we drink cannot
enhance proper and continu
ous good health. TfeU-tale
signs become evident; we can
physically see the abuse our
body is receiving, e.g. circles
under our eyes, faded com
plexions, dehydrated skin,
weight issues, crankiness,
and, of (xjurse, foi^tfulness.
As Christians, foi^tfulness
should not be a part of our
curriculum of life. The scrip
tures remind us that we are to
find a balance and reflect on
the goodness of God. If we pin
point time to do this on a daily
basis, life’s issues will not take
charge of us. A pertinent
scriptiue reveals this fact.
Man sentenced to church
for threats and racial slurs
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CINCINNATT—A judge s^tenced a subur
ban Cincinnati man to attend services for six
weeks at a predominantly black church for
threatening to punch a black cab driver and
using racial slurs.
Brett Haines, 36, of Anderson Tbwnship,
picked church over spending 30 days in the
Hamilton County jail. Judge M^am Mallory
Jr. offered Haines the choice Friday after
Haines was wnvicted of disorderly conduct.
Haines was arrested in November for threat
ening cab driver David Wilson and prison’s
wife and telling them he hated black people.
Prosecutors said Haines was drunk.
“It se^ns readily apparent to me that you
don’t like black people,” Mallory told Haines.
Minister says couples should
make reproduction their job
Continued from page 6B
alumnus of Mohler’s semi
nary and father of two who
teaches social ethics at the
Methodists’ ItifF School of The
ology in Denver.
He protested that whetha-
Mohler realizes it or not, his
“full-quiver” theology is
“white-supremacy code lan
guage advocating for the
increase of white babies.” Pre
sumably, his fiiry stemmed
fiom the fact that Mohler’s
Southern Baptist Convention
is predominantly white But
Mohler urged childbearing
upon all ri^t-thinking Chris
tians, not just whites or
Southern Baptists.
De La Tbrre also thou^t
Mohler’s viewpoint would for
bid birth control, since if chil
dren are a blessing then “the
best that hmnans can do is
have as many children as pos
sible.” However, Mohler didn’t
oppose contraception, nor did
he define the number of chil
dren a Bible-based couple
should have.
Mohler also said he wasn’t
talking about couples who
desire children but are unable
to have th«n, only those who
are capable of bearing chil
dren but “reject this intrusion
in their lifestyle.” The Bible
“points to barrenness as a
great cnirse,” he noted, along
side its dq)ictions of children
as divine gifts.
The Mohler-De La Tbrre
feud reflected two competing
approaches toward the Bible.
Thinkers like Mohler want
to apply biblical principles
and precedents as fully as
possible in the 21st century
But De La Ttore believes it’s
“the hei^t of biblical naivete
to impose modem concepts
upon ancient texts.” He con
tends that in the Old Tbsta-
ment, children were a “bless
ing” primarily in economic
terms because in ancientiagri-
cultural societies, “extra
“Trust in the Lord with all
your heart and lean not on
your understanding”
(Proverbs 3:5).
TVust (jod to tEike care of
you, slow down, meditate on
the Word and allow the blood
to flow fi^y to your brain.
Take care of yoiuself and see
how your whole countenance
will evolve into a rested, calm
and pleasant individual, one
that remembers to do certain
things at certain times.
That still small voice inside
of you will direct you, if you
are calm enou^ to hear it. It
is a beautiful my^stery of life to
be directed by a still small
voice - a rested pampered con
sciousness. Another comfort
ing thou^t says, “In all thy
ways acknowledge Him, and
He shall direct thy paths”
(Proverbs 3:6). A rested, tran
quil, spirit-led and focused
individual can reap the bene
fits of a wholesome-fulfiUed
life.
111 QUEENS UNIVEKSITY
U OF CHARLOTTE
The Western Jazz Quartet is back!
BT:NEFU CONCERl -NO nCKET FEE
Urine a ctmtributwn for lh/ Huildinu I'lmd!
With the Jones Piano .Studio, the t'riends of Music at Queens arc
Spon-soring this Jazz group from the faculty of Wcstcni Michigan U.
• Saturday, .January 28,2006 7pin
• First Baptist Church West, IftOl Oakiawn Ave.
• Concert Warmup by jazz pianist, nilian Simmons,
and Aiison Siler.
Itrin^ Your Family and Friends!!
RSVP: First Baptist West 704-372-1075
“That’s OK with me. But you have to under
stand that you are at the whim and authority
of a black judge.”
The churdi services could expand Haines’
cultural awareness, Mallory said. He told
Haines he must go to six consecutive Sunday
services and get the minister to sign a churdi
program to prove he attended.
The judge said he was concerned about main
taining a separation of church and state, so he
asked Haines whether the option would offend
him.
Haines said he would like to try it, althou^
he does not usually attend church.
MTlson, the cab driver, said he would have
preferred the jail sentence.
“Church don’t change everybody,” he said.
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Frank & Emma
Larry Anderson
hands to work the field” were
valuable and offspring provid
ed financial security in old
age.
Mohler’s crusade was occa
sioned by things like a
Salon.com article, “Tb Breed
or Not to Breed” He objected
that “animals breed” but
“human beings procreate and
raise children to the glory of
God.”
Other provocations were
debates about child-fi’ee
apartment buildings and tax
policies, the Atlanta Joumal-
Constitution’s cxjverage of cou
ples who prefer to spend
money on gadgets rather than
on children, and the forma
tion of No Kidding! a child
lessness organization.
Ib Mohler, it’s “sick” that one
member of No Kidding! said
she transfers motheriy feel
ings to her dog.
On the Net:
Mohler site:
www.albCTtmohler.coTn
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