SIKESTON – Many hurdles line the path of a successful church plant, and sometimes a new congregation can use a boost so it can move on to the next phase of transforming lives and communities with the gospel. The hurdles can be spiritual, but they also can be as mundane as too few chairs, or lights that are too dim to allow for webcasting, or the lack of a video camera to help share new believers’ stories on social media. That’s where Next Steps Requests come in, and where the gifts of … [Read more...]
MBCH eyes partnership in Ukraine
BRIDGETON – Trustees for the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home heard various reports during their Jan. 24 meeting, including one that may eventually result in a partnership with a similar organization in Ukraine. The potential partnership came about from connections made by MBCH trustee Greg Morrow while he was on sabbatical in the eastern European country last fall. A representative from New Hope Ukraine will be present at the next MBCH board meeting April 24-25 to further explore how … [Read more...]
South County hosts ‘Night to Shine’
ST. LOUIS – It’s not unusual for churches to roll out a figurative red carpet, but South County Baptist Church here literally rolled out the red carpet for 107 “VIP guests” Feb. 10, complete with “paparazzi.” The church also hosted limo rides, hair and makeup stations, corsages and boutonnieres, shoe shines, professional photography, dinner, a DJ, karaoke and a dance as part of Night to Shine, a partnership between the Tim Tebow Foundation and 375 churches worldwide to provide an … [Read more...]
Years later, martyrs’ memory lives on
KHABAROVSK, Russia – David Hendrick had no idea what God had in store for him when he answered the call to go to Russia as a missionary in 1993. Hendrick, who now serves as a regional collegiate ministry coordinator for the Missouri Baptist Convention, was a student at Southwestern Seminary and had a two-year opportunity with the what is now the International Mission Board (IMB) to reach students and next generation leaders in the city of Khabarovsk, in far eastern Russia. Before his time … [Read more...]
‘Give it to Jesus:’ 8-year-old’s Christmas CD raises $1,400 for hunger relief
TROY – Carmen Cowles didn’t think twice when her music teacher asked her if she wanted to record a Christmas CD in his home studio. The eight-year-old second grader also didn’t have to think twice when her grandmother, Cathy Irwin, asked her what she wanted to do with any proceeds that might come from selling it. “She immediately told me, ‘Give it to Jesus,’” Irwin said. So that’s what Cowles did, selling the CD to her church family at First Baptist, Troy, door to door in her … [Read more...]
Movie Review ‘Silence’ shows brutal reality of persecution
“Silence” is a clever title for this wholly remarkable film. It can refer to the hushed tones of two missionaries hiding in a secret room. I suppose it could also refer to the fear that keeps the 17th century Japanese believers worshipping in underground house churches. Or maybe it’s referencing the stony, wordless resolve those who refuse to recant their faith. It can even refer to the stunning, minimalist sound track, which features no music, and is content to let the credits roll to … [Read more...]
Reunited: After splitting 23 years ago, two churches ‘re-marry’
ELLISVILLE – First Baptist Church here had already voted to spend $2 million in the first phase of rennovating its building. It’d been more than 35 years since any updates had taken place, and the growing church in West County St. Louis needed new and better facilities. Five miles down Route 66 in Wildwood, West County Community Church, which split from First Baptist in 1993, was seeking God’s will after its long-time pastor left last winter. Though that congregation had thrived and built … [Read more...]
Dream fulfilled: Burundi family accepts Christ
KANSAS CITY – Omar Segovia had a $50 bill burning a hole in his pocket but no one to give it to. As the Missouri Baptist Convention church planting missionary prayer-walked through a low-income neighborhood in Kansas City, he was seeking out a man he’d met earlier who might could use the cash. The problem was, Omar couldn’t remember exactly where the man lived. “As I prayer walked, I was intentionally praying for someone that I or some local church could disciple,” Segovia said. Not … [Read more...]
‘Hangar Hangouts’ develops disciples
CALHOUN - You don’t need to be inside a church’s auditorium to hear the truth. Sometimes, pulling up a lawn chair next to a 1945 Piper Cub in a small , unfinished hangar will do just fine. That’s what been going on at “Hangar Hangouts,” a disciple-making ministry of sorts for men and boys hosted by Tom Spooner, a member of First Baptist, Clinton. “There are some folks out in this world - basically men - who do not want to go to church to hear anything,” Spooner said. “They figure they’re … [Read more...]
Corticelli’s nativity rises from last year’s ashes
RUSSELLVILLE – The little town of Bethlehem is back and bigger than ever. Considering how the drive-through nativity at Corticelli Baptist church ended last Christmas, that’s saying something. A fire sparked by a light that blew into a hay bale took 20 firefighters two hours to douse, but the charred and soaked ground did not dampen the church’s resolve to tell the true story of Luke 2 to its community. The sets and props themselves – and the actors and livestock – were all miraculolusly … [Read more...]
Missouri son returns as Mo. Baptist catalyst
JEFFERSON CITY – It took more than a year, but the Missouri Baptist Convention executive board staff has found the right man for the job of Developing Leaders Catalyst: Jim Misloski. Though the job description is a new one, Misloski is responsible for equipping and strengthening today’s churches and church leaders, discovering the next generation of leaders and preparing them to serve, and mobilizing leaders for Kingdom service. He directs the MBC’s pastoral ministry, transitional pastor … [Read more...]
Movie Review: ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ shows triumph of conscience
I have never been in the military. In fact, the most I can say is that I am a veteran of many a war movie. But Hacksaw Ridge, just like the Pacific campaign in World War II, is a whole ‘nother (movie) theater of war. What makes it different is that its real-life hero, Desmond Doss, is a conscientious objector (“I like to think of myself as more of a conscientious cooperator,” he tells his commanding officer) and feels bound by God never to touch a weapon. Doss is a patriot who takes the … [Read more...]
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