By Clayton Reed
Two men. Totally different takes on life. One man was a king. His name was Solomon.
Solomon set out to try everything at least once. If he saw it, he tried it. He built an empire and experienced every pleasure. He was financially, relationally, and experientially on top of his world. He was a man who had everything his heart desired.
The new headquarters of the Southlake Department of Public Safety, was dedicated on January 8, 2010, after nearly two years of construction. Located at 600 State St., this state-of-the-art, 80,000 plus square foot structure was customized to both accomodate current community safety needs and meet the challenges that will accompany future population growth. Housing the city municipal and Metroport teen courts, fire station and police department, the DPS building is a critical resource for our city employees as they serve the community.
We will be hosting a Men’s Fraternity in the Southlake area this fall. Imagine the transforming power of men coming together to honestly examine their lives and take the courageous steps necessary to embrace authentic manhood on a journey to become who God intends them to be.
When men connect in life-changing ways, a powerful ripple effect touches families, workplaces, and the church. Deeper connections with God and other men inspire participants to connect more meaningfully in all facets of their lives. They climb beyond the walls of isolation and aspire to a biblical viewpoint marked by integrity, boldness, and compassion. That is the goal of Men’s Fraternity.
By Zack Polyak
Southlake is considered one of the best places in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex to live and conduct business. Few people have done more to make the City a safe haven than Police Chief Robert Finn. As a 31-year-resident and 23-year public servant of the City, Chief Finn has helped make the Southlake Department of Public Safety second to none.
Chief Finn has served as a volunteer fire fighter, EMT, professional fire fighter, fire chief and presently police chief. In retrospect, Robert told us, “I have never gotten bored or stagnated at any one position with the City. It seems like every time I have needed a different challenge in my life or felt like I had outgrown my surroundings, Southlake’s population grew, and I grew with it.” He laughed and continued, “And I guess after 23 years, I have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up.”
On July 10, more than 60 members of Southlake Baptist Church showed up for a landscaping work day at Carroll High School on White Chapel Boulevard, where the church meets each week for worship. Dads, moms, teens, and kids armed with shovels and rakes weeded flower beds and put down 180 bags of mulch. Professional landscapers also donated their time to trim trees and shape hedges around the school campus as part of an effort to assist the CISD in times of budgetary cutbacks.
On May 17, 2010 the Wall Street Journal featured Southlake Baptist in The Journal Report Small Business Section. Read it here.
A couple of years ago, when Jack (my oldest) turned nine years old, I began to realize how quickly he was growing up. It seemed unbelievable that he might be out of my house and on his own in another nine years (I left home for college when I turned 18.) and that his time with me at home could be halfway over. That thought gave me a “reality check” about the priorities in my life.
I began to consider that we needed to have Jack skillfully prepare to face adulthood and had few years left in which to do this. One of my personal parenting challenges is that I have a hard time weighing the immediacy of the moment with the quiet demands of really important long-term issues. Continue Reading…
As people who have been Christians for many years, we have learned that when you ask for something from God, you often must wait patiently for His answer. For several years, we prayed daily that God would show us where He wanted us to serve Him as we approached our retirement years. We felt drawn to the area in which we lived, Southlake, Texas, but not led to any specific church until we received a postcard announcing that a new church was forming in our community.
We were seeking a New Testament church that not only presented the Gospel unapologetically and courageously to the non-believer each Sunday but also challenged and developed the mature Christian as well, a place where we heard a profoundness of the Gospel and not a watered-down version or half truths. As we read the information about Southlake Baptist Church on the web site, it was if God were saying, “This is it; this is where I want you.” For us, one of the most impressive facets of this new church is its commitment and passion for the “Great Commission,” planting new churches, not only in the Metroplex but all over the world. The staff’s mission is not limiting the call to start a church in suburbia, but actively and directly supporting local pastors and churches abroad.
It is extremely invigorating to be a part of something from the beginning. Each Sunday we watch SBC grow, knowing that lives are changed and witnessing how God uses His people to achieve His purpose. Opportunities to serve are abundant at SBC, and Bible study through small home groups is motivating and engaging. Also, we are impressed by the wisdom demonstrated by the church staff as they present its direction and focus, always available to answer questions and welcoming input to improve the church.
We are truly grateful to be a part of an exciting and energetic church in a city that we love, and we look forward to seeing God use it in the future.
By Sharon Petty
From its residents and employees to its elected officials, Southlake boasts a wealth of responsible, caring, and successful individuals who contribute to the overall success of the city. One of the most significant figures in making Southlake a roaring success has been City Manager Shana Yelverton. In her typical self-effacing style, she says, ”If there ever was a can-do city, it’s Southlake.”
Seventeen years ago, Southlake was a sleepy country city with just 10,000 residents. Today, our population has more than doubled, and it has become a leading city in the metroplex and a model community for many around the country. This success is due in no small part to leadership provided by Shana and her capable team.
Mayor John Terrell describes Shana as “an incredibly dynamic executive leader for our city.”
“Not only does she possess the knowledge, skills and abilities that have been honed over the 17 years she has been with the city, but she also has the political instincts and personality that provide effective and practical applications of the policies and programs determined by the city council,” Terrell says. “She is adept in exercising participative management skills that support team efforts and quality processes.”
We are aware that all across the globe there are looming problems of spiritual emptiness, poverty, disease and oppression. While there are many organizations and government agencies in place to deal with many of these issues, we believe that the most effective method to address such global problems is through the local church. The church has the ability to holistically deal with the physical and spiritual problems that people face. We believe this transformational power is found in the Gospel, and the primary propagator of the Gospel is the church.
As a CEO of a national company and a member of a local church in Arlington, I sensed a need for churches to be planted world-wide. “I asked the question: How can we I make a global impact?” In answer to that question, in 2003 I established a non-profit organization called Global Church Planters with the sole purpose of helping churches and individuals in the U.S. plant churches around the world. Since then , with God’s blessing, this organization has seen 358 churches started in foreign countries, with many, many people having heard the gospel. This has happened because of the investment in Global Church Planters by people and organizations having invested in Global Church Planters. Each new believer came to know Christ through the combined efforts of supporters, missionaries, and church planters on the foreign field.
We understand that with the current economy, each dollar is very important. For an investment of $50 a month, you can help start a new church on a foreign field. It only takes about $100 a month to fully support a Pioneer (national pastor) in the Philippines or India. 100% of all support received actually goes to the mission field. All Global Church Planters staff members are self-supported. Many of them donate their time, and donors give specifically to cover the minimal administrative costs incurred.
Global Church Planters partners with proven missionaries (we call them Partners) on the foreign field with established local churches and Bible colleges, training national pastors we call Pioneers. Our partners carefully choose graduates, men of vision and character, to be Global Church Planters’ Pioneers. These Pioneers are national pastors who need short-term financial support to help them start churches without having to work full-time jobs. Most of the Pioneers’ churches become self-supporting in just two to three years.
Funds are sent to the Global Church Planters’ Partners, who then distribute the support to their Pioneers. These Partners not only train these national pastors in their Bible colleges; they also oversee their church plants and hold them accountable to regularly submit ministry reports, prayer letters, and current pictures of their church services. Individuals and churches who support Global Church Planters receive regular reports from their Pioneer(s), as well as the ability to view all current data on the Global Church Planters website: www.globalchurchplanters.com.
Christ’s Great Commission to the church is, Go to every nation and make disciples. It is our mission to invade every part of the world with the Gospel, starting new churches, sharing the Gospel, and making disciples. Global Church Planters enables individuals to have a part in making a global impact with the gospel. It is a proven organization with proven results. Global Church Planters currently has Pioneers planting churches in Mexico, Zambia, India, Argentina, Panama, and the Philippines.
Global Church Planters is a ministry of Southlake Baptist Church. If you would like further information about partnering with Global Church Planters, you may contact Southlake Baptist Church by phone at 817.812.2149, or via email at info@globalchurchplanters.com.
By Clayton Reed
clay@southlakebaptist.com
