Short Spots  

                                                                                                                                                                           Vol. XVI, No. 6, July 2003

IMB Adjusts to Lower Income: 37 home office staff members of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board were notified 10 June that their jobs were being eliminated in order to keep the agency's 2003 expenditures in line with anticipated income. A total of 61 full-time and part-time positions were eliminated. Some were vacancies that will not be filled. Also, approximately 100 candidates who hoped to begin long-term missionary careers this year have been deferred to next year or put on hold. The number of new short-term personnel also will be reduced by 30% this year. Both steps were taken after the 2002 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering fell almost $10 million short of its $125 million goal, complicating a financial situation already stressed by declining investment income and a rapidly increasing missionary force. Since 78% of the IMB's $268.8 million basic operating budget provides support and benefits for missionaries and staff, there was no way to avoid an impact on stateside staffing in reducing expenses. In order to continue to give priority to its overseas ministries and support of missionaries, a number of products, resources and services also are being suspended. Perhaps the most significant action to reduce products and services will be suspending publication of the IMB's flagship magazine, "The Commission." Printing and postage costs for the publication totaled $800,000 in the 2003 budget. The board will continue to publish the online version of the magazine. In each of the past two years, the International Mission Board has sent out more than 1,000 new missionaries. The board currently has 5,545 fully supported workers serving among 1,497 people groups worldwide. [BP]

Virginians on 2003-04 Com. on Nominations: Seventy Southern Baptists from 35 state Baptist conventions have been named to serve on the 2003 SBC Committee on Nominations. The Committee on Nominations will nominate people to serve on the SBC's boards, commissions and committees, and it is these trustees who make policy and hire and fire senior executives. Thus, their choice is critically important to the biblical effectiveness of the SBC. The Committee will present their report to the 2004 SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis. The committee is made up of two people from each state convention -- one layman and one in church-related vocational work. Committee on Nominations members are selected by the SBC Committee on Committees, and the members of the com. on committees are appointed by the SBC president. The new members of the Com. on Nominations from Virginia are -Doug Echols, pastor of Enon Baptist, Chester, and Henry Snyder, layman, London Bridge Baptist, Virginia Beach.

Kudos to Wal-Mart: In response to customer pressure, Wal-Mart executives have decided to cover some women's magazines stocked in the stores' checkout lanes. "U-shaped blinders" will cover the photos and language on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Marie Claire and Redbook, the Associated Press reported. The decision follows a similar decision made only weeks before to stop selling three racy men's magazines -- Maxim, Stuff and FHM. The "courageous" move, coupled with Wal-Mart's policies of not carrying CDs bearing explicit lyrics warnings and requiring proof of age for purchasing mature-labeled video games, "underscores Wal-Mart's strong reputation as a pro-decency, pro-family commercial enterprise," said Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Richard Land. [BP]