Who Dat sayin dey American Baptists?

Why, oh Why did they have to be Baptists? I am of course referring to the group of Baptists from the United States who are now incarcerated in Haiti on charges of kidnapping and child-smuggling. Why did they have to be Baptists? And of course they are referred to on the television as American Baptists as a way of explaining their country of origin and not their denominational affiliation. If you do a web search of the word Baptists... you get this story. If you web search American Baptists... you get this story. One headline read, 'American Baptists defend Actions in Haiti.' (cbs4 in miami.) they aren't American Baptist as in the denomination, they are simply Baptist from the United States. I think the whole thing signals that we should change the name of our denomination. My friend Travis likes Crazy-Ass Baptist. That is my vote. instead of being a part of ABCORI (American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island) we would be CABORI (Crazy-Ass Baptists of Rhode Island). Or instead of being a part of ABC-USA (American Baptist Churches USA) we would be a part of CABUSA (Crazy-Ass Baptist's USA.) and we would have a pronunciation guide since no one know how to say ABCUSA (is that AB-KYEW-SA or AB-KOO-SA. NOPE. CABUSA. pronounced like Caboose, as in the last car on a train OR a slang term for somebodies hind end!)

We're not THAT kind of Baptist. I get tired of saying that. I feel like I say it all the time. But if we were officially Crazy-Ass Baptists, it would be fun. Are you the baptist's who hate on gays and lesbians? NO Sir... we're crazy-ass baptist and we love our gay and lesbian friends. Are you the baptist's who just got arrested in haiti? Not me! I'm a crazy-ass baptist and we don't kidnap children!

Anyway. My church is currently working on a plan which would involve creating a relationship with a city or town, in a nation that we have not yet decided, but like Haiti or El Salvador, so that we could establish a mission relationship. the purpose is for our mission involvement to go beyond sending the occasional check and also beyond the feel-good one time visit. But part of the plan, the major part of the plan is the research. Researching a town that has an association with an American Baptist missionary. (American Baptist the denomination) Creating a relationship with that missionary and learning about not only the needs of the people in that area, but what a safe and effective aid effort on our part would include. Rushing to haiti now to provide aid is like deciding to practice medicine immediately after witnessing a car accident. You do not have the skill or the knowledge to be of aid at this time, so stay out of the way!

I am currently doing some reading on Human Trafficking. From what little I know about that issue, it is no wonder Haiti's government has responded in such a manner to this debacle. Who is to say that this wasn't an effort to traffic in children and teens? I'd hate to think so... but with 1.8 million women and children trafficked yearly around the world 600,000 for the prostitution, Haiti can't take any chances and I don't blame them for the abundance of caution.

How is that for a light-hearted post after such a long absence