QUICK QUOTES

"These heroic volunteers are sweating it out in very difficult conditions. The enormity of this disaster is truly stretching resources thin. Imagine September 11 but without the infrastructure to reach the disaster area. That's what we're facing. We're pouring in everything we have, but if this effort is to be sustained, we're going to need Southern Baptists to step up as they never have before."

NAMB President Dr. Bob Reccord, commenting on Southern Baptist Disaster Relief efforts, while visiting New Orleans in September

"I just sensed in my spirit we needed to go help. We're a new church start, and I want us to be doers. We came to do whatever was needed; we're here to be servants."

John Cope, pastor of Keystone Community Fellowship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who took a team of volunteers to Louisiana to help with disaster relief

"There are so many people hurting, and they need our help. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief workers are preparing [thousands of] meals a day. Chainsaw, clean-up and recovery, and feeding crews are working nearly around-the-clock. They've even got trailers loaded down with shower and laundry facilities. But the most important thing: They're telling people about the love of Jesus Christ, and we're going to help."

Richard Powell, senior pastor, McGregor Baptist Church in Fort Myers, Florida, explaining why his church decided to give its entire August 28 offering receipts totaling $160,041 to Southern Baptist Disaster Relief

"It's possible for God's people to capitalize on this catastrophe for the sake of the gospel and that a great awakening can occur during the days ahead. I believe that's what Southern Baptist leaders, pastors and members are working and praying for."

Bobby Welch, SBC president and pastor of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Florida

Media and technology may be best way to reach Latinos

A new study by SíTV and FGI Research found that 18- to 34-year-old Latinos who consume media in English are trend-setters who place a premium on entertainment and are quick to try out new technologies. The study found that this demographic, dubbed "Generation Sí," is:

230% more likely than non-Hispanic young adults to cite TV or radio advertising as "very influential"

80%  more likely than non-Latinos to have an in-car DVD/video player

66%  more likely than non-Latinos to own a plasma or large-screen TV

50%  more likely than non-Latinos to attend movies on opening weekend

34%  more likely than non-Latinos to have handheld devices such as iPods, BlackBerrys and PDAs

Source: Hispanic Trends, March/April 2005

The daily grind

59% of Americans are satisfied with their jobs; 41% are not. 33% think their current position is a dead end and 44% of Americans feel they are overworked.

Source: Harris Interactive, The Week, May 20, 2005 and Time, July 25, 2005

Stressed out

49% say the winter holiday season is the most stressful time of year. 40% of Americans say tax season is the most stressful.

Source: Time, April 18, 2005

Sticking with it

86% of unhappily married couples who stick it out find their marriages are happier five years later,
according to the National Survey of Families and Households.

Source: HomeLife, May 2005

Too much TV can create bullies

Parking the kids in front of the TV could turn them into bullies. The more television 4-year-olds watch, the more likely they are to be mean and cruel to others by the time they are 11, a recent study found. Researchers suspect the violent content of TV shows is to blame. Even the cartoons watched by very young children have become more violent in recent years. Researchers believe young children become desensitized to violence and are susceptible to suggestions that violent behavior is acceptable.

Source: New Scientist and The Week, April 22, 2005

Why wait?

92% of teens say that being a virgin in high school is a good thing.

37% say they are waiting to have sex until they are married.

Of sexually active teens, 49% say they wish they had waited until they were older; 25% say they would change their first partner; and 28% say they regret the decision to have sex.

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation and Seventeen magazine survey

Europe: the new nation of Islam

The Muslim population in Europe has increased from about 1 million in 1945 to about 18 million today. The addition of Turkey to the EU would bring about 62 million more Muslims into the European flock. Scholars say that Europe will be Islamic by the end of the 21st century. To learn how Southern Baptists are reaching Muslim populations around the world visit www.imb.org.

Source: U.S. News & World Report, May 30, 2005

American faith walk

When asked if the religion they practice is the same as their childhood religion, 20% of Americans replied that they have changed faiths since childhood; 4% have abandoned religion altogether.

Source: Newsweek, September 5, 2005

Cookies, Kool-Aid® and the Gospel

Every summer two-thirds of U.S. churches host a Vacation Bible School (VBS)-reaching 38 million children. Larger churches are more likely to hold VBS than smaller churches (70% compared to 53%), but smaller churches draw more kids, proportionally, when compared to Sunday morning worship attendance. How big is the average VBS?

Source: Leadership, Summer 2005

Reading, writing and religion?

A majority of Americans believe religion should have a larger role in public schools, according to a recent Gallup poll. The poll revealed that 60% of adults believe religion has "too little of a presence" in public schools and that 76% favor amending the U.S. Constitution to allow voluntary prayer in schools. Of course, a moment of silence is still the prayer of choice for most Americans. By a 69-23% margin, adults say that if given a choice, they would prefer a "moment of silence for contemplation or silent prayer" in their local schools over a "spoken prayer."

Source: Gallup, August 26, 2005