The Christian IndexMarch 15, 2017 | Reaching the World Through Mission Georgia | www.christianindex.org

Georgia Tech’s Rand Rowland: a bigger picture of leadership

Rand Rowland’s basketball career at Georgia Tech began as a freshman walk-on – sharing a locker with another walk-on – before finishing on an athletic scholarship in his final season. DANNY KARNIK/

GT Athletic Association

By Scott BarkleyWeb Content Editor

ATLANTA — As a fresh-man, Rand Rowland began collecting the notecards left behind by Georgia Tech basketball coaches after team meetings. Generally contain-ing plays and observations about opposing teams and players, the cards held an extended value for Rowland, a member of the team.

His curiosity went beyond the notes’ content, and toward the future goal of being a coach himself. Rowland didn’t want to just hear the coaches’ instruction, but understand the ideas behind it.

“I picked up some leader-ship techniques through the cards,” explains Rowland, now a senior finishing out his final season with the Yellow Jackets. Though much of his view has come from the bench, the 6’7” forward from Cleveland found ways to con-tribute.

“I wanted to understand the playbook and be ready to remind guys of something the coaches said when we’re in a game,” Rowland points out.

A member of Tech’s Baptist Collegiate Ministries, those leadership principles helped Rowland in heading up the BCM’s evangelism efforts. And as with basket-ball, his start included a small group working together.

“This was my first year in leadership, but before that I was involved in Bible studies and an accountability group. Those really shaped me,” says Rowland, who attends 1027 Church in midtown Atlanta,

“Rand has never hinted at quit-ting because

it’s all about the team for him.”

Warren Skinner, Campus Minister

a Georgia Baptist Mission Board-affiliated church. “Being able to go to services at BCM on Tuesday and Thursday nights has provid-ed me fellowship with other believers.”

Community service recognized

Rowland scored the first points of his collegiate career Feb. 7, contributing a bas-ket during a 96-58 win over Division II Tusculum. That wasn’t his only highlight of the day, though.

Due to his exemplary character and numerous con-tributions in the Tech com-munity, Rowland was also named to the 2017 Allstate NABC Good Works Team™. The honor, presented by the Allstate Insurance Company and National Association of Basketball Coaches, is given to ten collegiate student-ath-letes from around the coun-try. Rowland was one of 181 possible recipients.

With his addition, Georgia

Tech became the only Division I school to include both a football and basketball player to the distinction, with defensive lineman KeShun Freeman receiving the honor last fall.

Student leadership has been a part of Rowland’s presence at Tech. By his sophomore year he had joined the stu-dent-athlete advisory board (SAAB) and later co-founded and served as chair of the group’s Peer-to-Peer Mentor program. Through that, incoming freshman received transitional help from upper-classmen, who in turn learned leadership skills.

Due in part to Rowland’s leadership, Tech has become involved in programs to raise awareness about relationship violence, especially among college athletes. Another effort, the Project Live

Movement, works to increase the pool of potential bone marrow and tissue donors. In addition, Rowland has taken part in toy drives and served dinner to families staying at the Ronald McDonald House while their children receive treatment nearby at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta hospital.

Significant influenceRowland had been

involved in an accountability group at Baptist Collegiate Ministries before this school year. But last spring, cam-pus minister Warren Skinner encouraged him to take on a leadership position.

“Due to his schedule, Rand isn’t able to be one of those guys who hangs around [the student center] a lot,” says Skinner. “But

when he’s here he provides a lot of leadership. He prayed about it and decided he wanted to be more involved in BCM this year. His influence has been significant.

“Rand is someone peo-ple recognize. He’s faithful, dependable, and honest. He is who he says he is.”

And though Rowland gives a nice-guy vibe, Skinner points to an easily-overlooked toughness molded through four years of setting screens and diving after loose balls in practice with little court time as a payoff.

“Rand has never hinted at quitting because it’s all about the team for him,” says Skinner.

The ChrisTian index | March 15, 2017 2

By Scott BarkleyWeb Content Editor

Pastor Daryl Womack sees The Big Invite as something akin to a can’t-miss.

“Any time you have a strategy that gives you a detailed way of going from one week to the next and leading up to an event, it helps,” says Womack, pastor of Montgomery Memorial Baptist Church in Gainesville.

To cite an oft-used met-aphor, Easter is the church’s Super Bowl. And this year Georgia Baptist church-es have the tools to make the most of their opportunity and not fade down the stretch.

“I have really loved the idea of knowing step-by-step

what we’re going to be doing from seven weeks out,” voic-es Womack. Looking at the planning board in his office, he sees when invite cards are mailed out as well as when radio promotional spots air. “I see when we have our offi-cial prayer dates, promotional videos to run, and signups for door-to-door evangelism. We’ll be carrying bumper stickers and door hangers when we make our visits, too.”

David Williams, pas-tor of Iron City Baptist Church in Seminole County, says his church is combining an ongoing outreach initiative with The Big Invite.

“Our church has made it

our yearlong goal to ‘Shine the Light’ in every home in Iron City,” he explains. As such, a map sits in the front of the sanctuary with lights representing all 236 houses in the town.

“We’ll go to each house and ask their permission to read God’s plan of salva-tion. Then, we’ll ask for a response. This effort differs from most, as those going out will have a Gospel script to follow and read.

“Once the light has been shined in that home, on Sunday morning during our announcements those church members will come forward and turn on the light or screw in the light bulb [rep-resenting] the house where they ‘shined the light.’”

No one slipping throughAlthough Easter brings in

guests, Williams doesn’t want any potential visitors who may decide to stay home slip-ping through the cracks.

“As a church, we want to ensure every home within our vicinity gets an oppor-tunity to not only hear the good news of Jesus Christ, but also to respond to that good news,” he says. “We understand God has given us a calling, and we’re directly responsible for what we do or don’t do with telling others about the precious treasure of salvation.”

In addition to using invite cards, prayer cards, and ban-ners, among other items, leading up to Easter Stephen Williams of Belmont Baptist in Calhoun will also place a priority on establishing connections with guests and follow-up.

“Our focus on Easter will be greeters and first impressions,” Williams says. “The next week, I want us

to connect with every visitor, whether it’s by a personal visit, handing off cookies, or just letting them know we’re glad they came.”

During March, he empha-sized the importance of prayer in the effort. “We had a Pray for Me cam-paign where older families prayed for younger ones,” he explains.

A deeper responsibility … and blessing

Though the Big Invite works through a seven-week process, its effects by no means should be confined to that parameter, say pastors.

“One idea I heard [First Baptist Alpharetta pastor and GBC President] Thomas Hammond mention was adding an Easter Eve ser-vice, which we’re going to have,” points out Womack. “We have people like firemen and nurses who can’t make a Sunday service. We don’t want anyone not be able to attend.”

David Williams points to a deeper responsibili-ty – addressed in Scripture – that urges churches to

utilize resources such as those through The Big Invite.

“As people of God, we only have two options. One is to bury our treasure in a field, keep it to ourselves, and thus receive the tongue-lash-ing from our Master who says, ‘You wicked and slothful servant!’ The second option is to be faithful with the trea-sure we’ve been blessed to receive.

“Then, we’ll hear ‘well done’ from our Master.”

Though Easter is just around the corner, it’s not too late to join the Big Invite. For suggestions or resources, visit TheBigInvite.org.

Montgomery Memorial Baptist Church in Gainesville has been sporting a banner promoting The Big Invite for several weeks. The seven-week step-by-step process of inviting others to Easter services through Big Invite resources, says Pastor Daryl Womack, pictured, began the last Sunday in February. MMBC/Special

Churches in full push for Easter’s Big Invite Sunday

‘Shine the Light’ in every home

in Iron City

The ChrisTian index | March 15, 2017

In case you do not understand the con-cept of fantasy sports

it has been around for over half a century. According to the University of Cincinnati Law Review, “Fantasy sports, in general, are communities – almost exclusively online today – where users create mock teams assembled from the players found in real-life professional sports leagues. Traditional fantasy leagues are season-long and players are held on a team to the exclu-sion of the other teams in that user’s league.

“Daily fantasy sports are a more recent variation on this old idea. The DFS participants are allowed to select among an array of competitions in which they may engage. There are three common types of contests in DFS: head-to-head, dou-ble-ups, and guaranteed prize

J. Robert WhiteExecutive Director

Open DOOr

J. Gerald HarrisEditor

eDITOrIAL

I was encouraged after reading the results

of a recent study by the Barna Group titled: Bible Reading in 2017: A New Year’s Resolution. The find-ings were the result of data gathered from a series of telephone and online inter-views with nationwide ran-dom samples.

In most cases, online interviews were con-ducted using an online research panel called “KnowledgePanel,” and based upon probability sam-pling that covers both online and offline populations in the U.S. The panel members were randomly recruited by telephone and by self-admin-istered mail and web surveys.

Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group, says, “It should come as no surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read the Scripture more than they do.

We have consistently seen in our research that, even with skepticism on the rise, Americans still hold the Bible in high regard.

Stone continued, “However, like other [com-mitments], such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s a goal that for most people proba-bly doesn’t feel necessary to survival and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life.”

Stone commented that “Spiritual leaders should feel heartened by these numbers. People still see Scripture reading as a worthwhile pursuit. The key is helping people see Bible reading as essential and not merely aspi-rational.”

It was encouraging to see that a majority read the Bible because it draws them closer to God (57 percent).

For many Americans, then, Bible reading is a pillar of their faith. Most Americans, however, are not satisfied with their current level of Bible reading. Sixty-one percent express the desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. These numbers have remained rela-tively consistent since 2011.

The groups who desire more frequent Bible read-ing than their counterparts are females (68 percent) compared to males (54 per-cent), Boomers (68 percent) compared to Millennials (55 percent), non-white Americans (67 percent) com-pared to white Americans (58 percent) and those with no more than a high school education (67 percent) com-pared to college graduates (56 percent). Seventy per-cent of Southerners want to read the Bible more, while Westerners and Northeastern

pools. Participants select indi-vidual professional athletes in a sport to form a team. Salary caps exist to prevent a total stacking of teams.

Luck vs. skillShould daily fantasy sports

be legalized in Georgia? That seems to be the issue with certain legislative kingpins down at the Gold Dome. It is a significant matter, because The Washington Post has identified fantasy sports as a multi-billion dollar industry.

Last year two lawyers from the office of Attorney General Samuel S. Olens wrote in a four-page letter, “Daily fantasy sports games are not authorized under Georgia law. The letter was in response to a letter from the Georgia Lottery to top executives at FanDuel and DraftKings to ‘inquire

about the legal authority for FanDuel and DraftKings to independently operate fantasy sports games within the state of Georgia.’”

However, Georgia Representative Trey Kelley wants Georgia to regulate, license, and tax fantasy sports operators. He sees the rev-enue potential House Bill 118 could have on the Peach State. He insists DFS is a game of skill and should be recognized as such.

An incubator for addictionLike all forms of gam-

bling, daily fantasy sports is addictive. Spencer Bacchus, former U.S. Representative for the state of Alabama and chair of the House Financial Services committee, stated, “In fact, a University of Connecticut study showed that as many as three in four pre-teens and teens who are

exposed to Internet gambling become addicted.”

This particular piece of proposed legislation, HB 118, is in the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee awaiting a hearing. Citizens should call their State Senators immediately and ask them to vote “NO” if they are on the committee and “NO” if it makes it to the Senate floor. The Georgia General Assembly will be in session until Thursday, March 30.

counterparts are at 55 per-cent each.

About two-thirds of Americans (66 percent) state that their level of Bible reading stayed about the same compared to the pre-vious year. More than three times as many Americans are seeing an increase in Bible reading rather than a decrease over the past five years, since 2012.

These numbers are encouraging and report that Bible reading is generally stable.

3

ACROSS 1. Wise men saw one

(Matt. 2:1-2) 5. Martha did this to

meet Jesus (John 11:20)

6. Martha to Jesus: “Bid her. . .___ me” (Luke 10:40)

13. Clearly, an attribute of Martha

14. Beautiful Helen’s city 15. Crippling disease16. Martha’s sister’s

choice (Luke 10:42)17. Martha to Jesus:

“I know that he shall ___ again” (John 11:24)

18. In 9 Across, Martha was this. . .

19. . . .and this21. Martha to Jesus: “. .

.my brother had not ___” (John 11:21)

23. Couldn’t Martha’s sister ___ the prob-lem?

24. Martha’s sister wouldn’t lift one ___ finger!

25. Potato brand29. Martha’s motto:

Don’t just think about it, ___!

30. Bluish-white metal32. Calais negative33. Gear for the Bahamas36. Physicist Marie37. Pull38. Jesus was not telling

Martha’s sister one of these

39. ___ boom40. Was Martha’s kitchen

this?41. Like Martha, it’s busy

(Prov. 30:25)42. Actress Day43. Head covering44. Blemish45. Ski destination

46. Temperature in Martha’s kitchen, perhaps

47. Blood part49. Sower’s medium

(Luke 8:8)50. San Diego winter

hour53. Martha to Jesus:

“Dost thou not ___?” (Luke 10:40)

55. Outspoken Martha didn’t do this with words (2 wds.)

57. Ran wild in the desert (Job 24:5)

60. The transfigura-tion took place ___ a high mountain (Mark 9:2)

62. Martha’s sister wiped Jesus’ feet with this (John 11:2)

63. Martha said Lazarus’ body would do this (John 11:39)

64. Aaron used one to fashion an idol (Ex. 32:4)

65. “They cried out all at ___” (Luke 23:18)

66. Belly (Scot.)67. Pop68. Martha wanted to

___ her sister into action

DOWN 1. Long stories 2. Cut of beef 3. How Martha felt

in the kitchen (Luke 10:40)

4. Martha needed to ___ her to-do list (Luke 10:42)

5. Wall ___ 6. Martha probably

took this in her housekeeping

7. Goddess known to 14 Across

This special edition of The Christian Index is distributed online bi-weekly at www.christianindex.org to provide additional content to readers who prefer a print version of the publication. To read additional stories of how God is working through Georgia Baptists, visit the website daily for stories that inspire and inform.

The Christian Index is a publication of the Georgia Baptist Convention, 6405 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097. Our editorial office can be reached at (770) 936-5590. J. Gerald Harris serves as Editor.

8. Describes the rich man’s garments (Luke 16:19)

9. Crowd10. Antlered animal11. Devil is its father

(John 8:44)12. Spacecraft detach-

ment15. “A sword shall ___

through thy own soul also” (Luke 2:35)

20. Christian commu-nity org.

22. Paul would have seen these kinds of columns in Athens

26. The Jews would ___ Lazarus in a cave (John 11:38)

27. Elijah would ___ God’s altar with water (1 Kings 18:33-34)

28. What Martha prob-ably suffered con-cerning what she would serve Jesus

29. Bible patriarch, for short

30. American Indian tribe

31. Rhizome riser33. One of what a

philatelist collects34. Dug around God’s

altar, as in 1 Kings 18:35

35. Extreme: prefix36. Org.39. Describes “the

greater light to rule the day” (Gen. 1:16)

40. “Martha. . .went and ___ him” (John 11:20)

42. Fabric used in inte-rior decorating

43. Soma46. Sounds like a lot of

this when Lazarus died (John 11:19)

48. Martha’s sister caused one anoint-ing Jesus’ feet (John 12:3)

49. “Chief priests and scribes ___ and vehemently accused him” (Luke 23:10)

50. Organ substitute in some churches

51. Adhere52. Martha, her sister

and brother54. Martha, perhaps:

Everyone ___ well at my place!

56. Thump57. Though Martha

came out, Jesus needed to___ for Mary (John 11:28)

58. Prodigal son’s workplace (Luke 15:15)

59. Martha’s sister chose to do this and listen to Jesus (Luke 10:39)

61. Martha’s lesson for us: It’s possi-ble to be ___ busy (Luke 10:41)