 by
Dr. Albert Reyes, President
 Essential
Skills for All Vocations
in a Multi-Cultural World
Everyday our cities, towns, communities, state, and nation inch
closer and closer toward a multicultural environment. In Texas, we no longer have a majority population. On a weekly
basis, I receive emails, letters, and phone calls from church
leaders, pastors, associational directors of mission, and
ministry leaders who seek to build bridges to the newcomers in
their community.
We are living in one of the most exciting missional periods in
our history. People from the ends of the earth are streaming to
our borders. So how do we become the presence of Jesus to them
if we don’t understand their cultural background or their
worldview?
If I could only recommend three resources that would help you
reach across cultures I would recommend Duane Elmer’s book
entitled
Cross-Cultural Conflict,
Sherwood Lingenfelter and Marvin K. Mayers book entitled
Ministering Cross-Culturally,
and Bernard Adeney’s book entitled
Strange Virtues: Ethics in a Multicultural World.
Elmer’s book helped me to see that conflict across cultures
requires a whole new way of looking at reconciliation and
resolution. While he supports Jesus’ instruction of going to
your brother or sister that you offended, he rightly
acknowledges that this approach fits neatly in a Western
cultural context.
He also suggests seven other biblically
authentic non-Western approaches to resolving conflict. This
volume was an eye-opener for me. I know you will enjoy it and I
am sure you will need it as you work through conflict with those
you intend to serve.
Lingfelter and Mayers helped me locate my cultural values in
contrast to Latin American, North American and Micronesian/Asian
cultures. The tools in this book helped me recognize my cultural
blind spots.
Adeney helped me see that significant cross-cultural interaction
can only be achieved through accurate cultural knowledge through
a relationship with a person of another culture.
If
I were to distill these resources down to essential skills
required for effective cross-cultural ministry, those skills
would be;
(1) contextually appropriate conflict resolution,
(2) awareness of cultural bias, and
(3) accurate cultural knowledge through a significant
cross-cultural relationship.
These tools help us build bridges to people all around us who
need hope in their lives.
New Weekly Blog: "Pan Dulce by Albert"
By the way,
every week I post a devotional blog
(short for web log) that includes a wisdom thought, a ministry idea, and a strategy
for maintaining sanity in ministry. I call it Pan Dulce (Sweet
Bread), the Mexican dessert we share with friends. Pan Dulce is a
bridge to resources and solutions we want to share with you. To
access Pan Dulce go to
www.bua.edu and select
Pan Dulce Blog on the left-hand side of the page or go directly
to the blog at
www.pandulcebyAlbert.blogspot.com
. Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.
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Campus Groundbreaking
to Launch
Crossing Over Together Campaign on August 29
As dirt continues
to move for streets and infrastructure on BUA's new 80 acre
campus, the official groundbreaking for the
Baugh Family
Campus
and
Piper Student Village
is slated for August 29, 2006 at 10:00 a.m.
The festive occasion will be
 marked
with music, refreshments and many special guests. The Campus
Groundbreaking also signals the launch of the public phase of
the
Crossing Over Together campaign,
a $ 9 million comprehensive capital campaign to fund $ 6 million
for Phase 1 of new campus development and $3 million of
operating expenses over the next three years.
To date, the
campaign is over half way fulfilled with almost $5 million
dollars pledged.
"We are
seeing some truly inspired leadership in the giving of our lead
donors"
says Dr. Reyes,
"but now is the
time for each of us who love BUA and believe passionately in our
mission to make a deep personal investment in training the next
generation of cross-cultural leaders. Because you give, many
will know Christ and serve him effectively for generations to
come."
Click here to
learn more about how you can join the
Crossing Over Together
campaign and help BUA claim a new era of cross-cultural
ministry.
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¿Disculpe, Alguien Habla Español?
BUA Students Serve Vital Role as
Mission Team Translators
"Excuse me, does anyone speak English?" is
the doorway phrase often confronted in cross-cultural ministry.
With language skills you can enter that doorway with the love of
Christ, without them all of our best intentions can be left
outside.
That's
why an increasing number of Texas Baptist Churches, such as
First Baptist Church Gonzales,
are utilizing BUA students as translators
for their mission projects. This summer, first year student
Joban Baeza
served as translator on a team
of 21 adults who worked in Piedras Negras, Mexico.
Baeza is shown at right working in an eye
clinic along with Blenda Wilson, wife of Tommy Wilson, church
member and Director of Mission for the South Central Baptist
Area.
"The wonderful
thing," said Wilson, "is that Joban very quickly picked up on
the kinds of healthcare questions to ask the patients. There was
a real mutual sharing of skills going on.
We couldn't have done our work without him."
Besides providing the eye clinic, the
mission trip included a medical clinic, backyard Bible club
activities and construction at the Casa Hogar Bethseda, an
orphanage for handicapped children and young adults. These kinds
of ministry efforts, which the church has been undertaking for a
number of years, are what earned FBC Gonzales recognition by BUA
earlier this year as a model
cross-cultural congregation.
The model begins with partnering with
Hispanic team members who can not only serve as translators but
as cultural coaches. The partnership is good for both the
sponsor church's effectiveness and for the training of students
who value new ministry experiences in a variety of cultural
settings. If you would like to learn more about enlisting a BUA
student for your next mission project, contact the office of
Student Development.
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When Students Are Away,
Summer Mission Groups Will . . . Work
 As
summer sets in, most of our BUA students head off-campus for
summer mission trips and to catch up with distant family, but
when the students are away, the summer mission groups come to
work . . . and play.
Mission
teams from Texas Baptist churches are a vital resource for
campus improvements and maintenance that would cost BUA
thousands of dollars. The more BUA can save on these items, the
more budget we can put into financial aid and student services.
And with the campus operating at maximum capacity for housing
and office space, Project Manager Jim Fowler is always looking
for new ways to "shoehorn" more functional space for students
and staff.
This summer, four mission teams from different areas of the state
invested their energy and resources in vitally needed
improvements.
The Youth of
Sunset Canyon Baptist Church, Dripping
Springs,
under the leadership of worship minister Connan Coker, came
early in the summer and invested “sweat equity” in painting
 the
wrought iron fence around the campus. BUA also served as a
launching point for inner city ministries as the youth choir
sang and served at an area homeless shelter and downtown "church
under
the bridge."
Indian Creek Baptist Church,
led by pastor Guy Weathers, brought a team of adults and youth
who built study modules for the library and constructed a new
dividing wall in the office of student development to create a
new office and reception area. This being their first trip to
BUA, the group was eager to carry back admissions information to
share with Hispanic pastors in their area around Mineral Wells.
First Baptist Church Orange
has been a long-time supporter of Baptist University of the
Americas and this summer brought a mission team of men under the
leadership of layman Weldon Townsend. The focus of their project
was reconfiguring the walls and layout of a family apartment so
it could accommodate six students and a lounge area.
First Baptist Kaufman,
a Barnabas Project partner with BUA, sent a team that
demolished a wall in the student center to make it more open and
functional for student activities. Layman Bill Lyons served the
group as team leader and “tool-pusher”!
 Hats off
to all these wonderful folks and churches who are serving God by
helping send more cross-cultural ministers out to serve the
world. More than anyone else, Jim Fowler can testify to the
difference these churches have made:
"During the
four years I
have been here, BUA has been blessed with a number of different
volunteer groups that have come with maintenance, construction,
and specialty expertise. All came at a specific time that meets
the needs of our campus. These volunteer groups are the major
reason why our campus has been revitalized, and reconfigured to
meet the needs of students, staff, and faculty. In today’s
environment, we could not succeed without their support. God
bless our volunteer groups!"
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New Online Giving
and Payment System
For a
growing number of people, online giving has become a convenient,
easy and secure way to support their favorite causes.
Now you can access BUA's new online giving system by simply
clicking on the "New! Give Online" icon at
www.BUA.edu or
click here to go
directly to the online giving page.
 The
procedure is simple.
You will be asked to create an account that is completely
confidential and secure. Then you will have the option of making
one-time or scheduled payments via credit cards and electronic
checks.
The system is especially convenient for monthly
Amigos
givers and those who have set a regular schedule for fulfilling
their pledges to the
Crossing Over
Together
campaign. You can also make
one-time gifts, such as an annual
Development Council pledge of $1,000.
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