RICHMOND, Va. – Like most Southern Baptists throughout the United States, the missionaries they support through the Cooperative Program are also adjusting to government lockdowns and other difficulties caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Yet many of them continue to labor for the gospel, even as International Mission Board (IMB) leaders in the United States adapt to new financial realities brought on by the coronavirus. Steve Hagen, an IMB missionary and Missouri native said, efforts … [Read more...]
MBC building to open, May 4
JEFFERSON CITY – The Baptist Building will open to Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) state missionaries, May 4, as soon as statewide stay-at-home orders are lifted. The building, however, will remain closed for the time being to the public, and MBC staff members with weakened immune systems have been encouraged to return a week later. During the past month, the Baptist Building has been operational, according to MBC spokesperson Rob Phillips, director of ministry support. “We especially … [Read more...]
Freedom at risk? Religious liberty threats already on rise pre-pandemic
WASHINGTON – Potential threats to religious liberty have come to the forefront across the United States because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Even in the best of times, guarding our First Amendment freedoms can be an uphill battle. And these are not the best of times,” John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, wrote, April 14. He described the arrest of Christians in Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C., while they prayed outside of abortion clinics. They … [Read more...]
‘Hope is here’ – Families, churches learn the arts of neighboring from a distance
LIBERTY – Because of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, it has never been more important for Missouri Baptists to find ways to connect with and love their neighbors. And many families and churches are aiming to do just that. In the Kansas City area, two young girls have brought hope to their neighbors and many others amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Putnam girls, 7-year-old Collins and 5-year-old Carter, attend Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Liberty, with their parents, … [Read more...]
Trumpeting His praises – Online music brings encouragement during pandemic
JEFFERSON CITY – Hannibal-LaGrange University professor John Francis takes seriously – though with delight – the biblical command to praise God “with the sound of the trumpet” (Psalm 150:3). He wrote a master’s thesis called, “Trumpets in Scripture: the Representative Voice of God,” and he regularly writes about the instrument and its biblical background on his blog, www.biblicaltrumpets.org. So it’s no surprise that, when Missourians retreated to their homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, … [Read more...]
On whom do you rely? A meditation on Isaiah 36-37
And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord! – Lord Byron (George Gordon), from “The Destruction of Sennacherib” In the year 701 B.C., the Assyrian army under its king Sennacherib attacked the fortified cities of Judah and lay siege to Jerusalem. For some two centuries, the neo-Assyrian empire had been a force to reckon with … [Read more...]
Freeway Ministries reaches out to Springfield’s homeless, underserved people amid pandemic
SPRINGFIELD – Freeway Ministries here continues to minister to the homeless and other underserved people amid the COVID-19 pandemic by serving a free dinner each Saturday evening during the lockdown. So far, they have served 1190 meals. Co-founded by John Stroup, Mike Aye and Rick Lechner, members of Crossway Baptist Church here, Freeway is an outreach and discipleship ministry that helps churches reach out to ex-cons, drug addicts, the homeless and other hard-to-reach people. Many of … [Read more...]
‘I need Jesus’ – Online preaching leads to salvation, Easter day baptism
HILLSBORO – Like many other congregations across the state, Raintree Church here held a virtual Palm Sunday service on Facebook Live, April 5. But when Pastor Kenny Sims finished preaching in his empty church building that day, he felt he had failed. Afterwards he called the church’s associate pastor, Tyler Thomas, to vent his frustration about his own sermon. “I really felt like this was one of the worst sermons I’ve ever done,” Sims said. But only a few minutes after he hung up the … [Read more...]
Epidemics not a novelty in history of Christianity
LONDON, England – Blue crosses marked many doors of disease-ridden London homes in 1563. That year, the bubonic plague once again ravaged England’s capital city, despite efforts to prevent the spread of disease: Stray dogs throughout the city, thought to transmit the plague, were rounded up and killed. Bonfires – believed to “consume the corrupt airs” – filled the streets at sundown three times each week. Plays, fairs and other gatherings were prohibited, and London’s Christians were … [Read more...]
Mo. House bill enables churches to fight abuse
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Baptist pastor and lawmaker Doug Richey has introduced a bill in the Missouri House of Representatives that, if passed and signed into law, will empower churches and other nonprofits in the state to disclose credible allegations of sexual abuse without fear of civil liability. Richey, a state representative and pastor of Pisgah Baptist Church, Excelsior Springs, called Missouri House Bill 1446 (HB 1446) a bipartisan bill that should make its way to the governor’s … [Read more...]
Executive Board rescinds Windermere prohibition
JEFFERSON CITY – During their March 3 meeting here, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) executive board members rescinded a previous board decision that prohibited MBC staff from using the Windermere Baptist Conference Center (WBCC). The board also encouraged churches to consider using the campground for ministry. The board’s decision comes nearly three months after the WBCC was restored to the Missouri Baptist family, after a subsidiary of the Missouri Baptist Foundation (MBF) last December … [Read more...]
Churches called to ‘be poised’ for ministry when coronavirus subsides in Italy
ITALY – Though some Missouri Baptist churches have halted their plans to send mission teams to Italy because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Missouri Baptist Convention Multiplying Churches Director Rick Hedger is urging churches to keep Kingdom growth at the forefront even as they wait for the virus to subside. According to Reuters, Italy is the European nation hardest hit by the coronavirus, with 5,883 cases and 233 deaths reported in the nation as of March 7. Northern Italy, where Missouri … [Read more...]
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