KANSAS CITY – Norfleet Baptist Church felt invisible. “We have canvassed the neighborhoods many times,” said pastor Scott Flippin. “We have hung door hangers, gospel tracts, and invitations to church on their doors. We have rung doorbells and shared the gospel. We have prayer walked. We’ve put flyers out in the elementary schools. We’ve adopted local families at Christmas. We’ve hosted Trunk or Treats, Easter Egg Hunts, Movie Nights and Vacation Bible School, but we felt invisible. Nobody … [Read more...]
Twin campuses, one church – FBC Raymore, Fellowship Greenwood unite for the Kingdom
RAYMORE – Whether you call it by its former name – First Baptist Church – or its new one, Fellowship Church, it’s a “God story.” That’s how Alan Findley describes the congregation meeting in this fast-growing suburb of Kansas City. Over the past 18 months or so, First Baptist, Raymore, found itself without a pastor and began looking and praying over the direction God would take the future of their church. They could search for a new pastor and continue with their status quo, but they … [Read more...]
‘Your body is temple of the Holy Spirit’ – Pastor, wife urge church leaders to be healthy, take care of themselves
POLO – Marc Knapp had a problem, and it was a problem of his own making, one forkful at a time. But even though the number on the scales crept higher and higher, the fight to be healthier and be in better shape to serve the Kingdom seemed futile to Knapp, pastor of First Baptist Church, Polo. “I’ve always had a heart for overweight pastors,” Knapp said. “I get the stress. I understand how hard it is to make time to take care of yourself when you’re exhausted. And that’s just sermon … [Read more...]
HLGU placing interns in State Capitol
JEFFERSON CITY – Education shouldn’t be limited to the classroom, and exercising one’s faith shouldn’t be limited to the church building. That’s the mantra of Hannibal-LaGrange University’s director of community engagement, Louis Riggs. Students at HLGU now have the opportunity to put both aspects into play at the state capitol as legislative interns. Riggs is a longtime professor of English and pre-law courses, as well as HLGU’s online Master’s in leadership program. Since last year, he’s … [Read more...]
‘Debtor to the Cooperative Program’ – Oakville pastor has seen every angle of CP ministries
OAKVILLE – John Hessel has been in ministry for nearly 50 years, and the Cooperative Program has been there every step of the way. In fact, it was there for him even before that. “I’ve been a beneficiary of and have tried through my ministry to be a benefactor to the Cooperative Program,” said Hessel, pastor of First Baptist Church, Oakville. “I cannot separate my spiritual pilgrimage personally or my ministry professionally from CP.” For the uninitiated, the Cooperative Program is … [Read more...]
Experiencing story in God’s Creation, escape rooms
“For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.” – Romans 1:20 (CSB): * * * * I spent last Saturday in a casino, and I’m proud to say I won. I won big. Lest you call my Baptist bona fides into question, allow me to explain. More precisely, it was a casino-themed escape room. If you’re not up to speed on the … [Read more...]
Of ‘Downton Abbey,’ dramatic stories, testimonies worth shouting about
The new theatrical release “Downton Abbey” is the cinematic finale to six seasons of the British TV series of the same name. If you enjoyed the show, by all means, see the movie. This big screen chapter has all the same thematic strengths as the television series (and weaknesses... you’ll be disappointed if you had your fingers crossed Thomas Barrow’s journey was going to have a God-honoring conclusion). I’m late to the Downton party, or I suppose, Downton ball. I binge-watched all six … [Read more...]
Three MBC churches partner in Wisconsin
SHEBOYGAN, Wisc. – Last summer, Chuck Baker, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, Richland read a disturbing statistic: the previous year, Baptist churches in Minnesota and Wisconsin combined saw only 147 baptisms. “It broke my heart,” he said. Because his daughter lives there, the southeastern Wisconsin city of Sheboygan began to stand out in Baker’s mind and prayers. After connecting with Guy Frederick, pastor of Mapledale Baptist Church there and a member of the Southern Baptist … [Read more...]
‘Be careful little eyes what you see’ – Surgeon says media violence has real-world effects on children
JEFFERSON CITY – Dr. Caleb Steffen grew up playing video games. Like many of his contemporaries and kids today, he never gave a second thought to tuning out the world and blasting, slashing and shooting his way to the next checkpoint. Now though, this Christian father and surgeon with a background in trauma is much more concerned about the impact violent media – whether it’s TV, movie or videogames – can have on the human brain and behavior. A few years ago, Steffen became frustrated at … [Read more...]
Heartbeat bill: Judge blocks Missouri’s ban on abortions at 8 weeks, state appeals
KANSAS CITY – Days before it was to take effect, a federal judge on Aug. 27 temporarily blocked a Missouri ban on abortion after eight weeks of pregnancy. Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed an appeal of the decision Sept. 5. U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs blocked the law for the time being, pending a legal challenge from Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union. The abortion provider and the ACLU filed their suit arguing that the Missouri Stands for the … [Read more...]
Missouri Valley College welcomes state’s newest collegiate ministry
MARSHALL – The students starting classes this week at Missouri Valley College aren’t just starting a new semester with new classes. They also have a chance to be a part of the newest Missouri Baptist collegiate ministry. A long-time student pastor, Scott Westfall has been on the campus for a few weeks now and said he is ready to build relationships and point Missouri Valley’s 1,500 students to Jesus. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve met with people all day long,” he said. “I’m trying to … [Read more...]
MBC summer missionaries report 800-plus salvations
JEFFERSON CITY – The numbers behind the Missouri Baptist Convention summer missionary program are astounding: 857 people accepted Christ as a result of ministries the missionaries took part in this summer, and those missionaries reported 8,903 “spiritual encounters.” Funded through the Missouri Missions Offering, there were 82 summer missionaries in all, including three serving with International Mission Board partners in Italy, five serving as Sports Crusader interns, and four serving as … [Read more...]
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