BADEN – Stretching from north county St. Louis almost halfway to Cape Girardeau and from Union to East St. Louis, Missourians turned out in force on the hottest day of the year for Crossover, the evangelistic push preceding the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Nearly 4,000 volunteers – many from Missouri – took part in more than 8,000 gospel conversations at 85 events around the metro area. 556 people accepted Christ as a result of those conversations. Coordinated through the … [Read more...]
Born This Way? MBTS prof critiques the science of homosexuality
KANSAS CITY – Discussions of homosexuality in the public square often hit a brick wall when those in the pro-camp dismiss Christians who point to the Bible’s teachings, and those Christians in turn dismiss the scientific “proof” that homosexuals and transgendered people are simply “born this way.” Sexuality and identity is as innate and predetermined as skin color, so the thinking goes. Midwestern Theological Seminary ethicist Alan Branch attempts to knock down that wall with his new book, … [Read more...]
Missouri DR helps wrap up Nepal recovery
KATHMANDU, Nepal – Dwain Carter jolted awake at 4:30 a.m., May 14. Still jet lagged from his flights to Nepal, he was instantly able to identify that he was feeling an earthquake. With a magnitude of just 4.4, the tremor was nowhere near as strong as the April 25, 2015 7.8 magnitude earthquake that claimed more than 8,000 lives and injured 21,000 in this Hindu country sandwiched between China and India. Carter, the director of disaster relief for the Missouri Baptist Convention, was in … [Read more...]
Pastor Joe Costephens: What I want you to know about Ferguson
FERGUSON – The protests and unrest following the death of Michael Brown in 2014 present a striking image of the Ferguson community, one that pastor Joe Costephens says is incomplete, if not totally wrong. “I don’t want to call it business as usual, but things have calmed down,” he said. “Now that we’re almost two years out, we’re making progress and moving forward as a community. “It’s neat to see. There are a lot of good, Christian people – not just Southern Baptists – refocusing on the … [Read more...]
5 years later, Joplin bouncing back from deadly tornado
JOPLIN – With sirens wailing, Greg Hailey closed his Bible, put it safely in a nylon satchel and used it to rest his head. Harmony Heights Baptist Church had no basement, but Hailey and 52 others took cover as best they could as a tornado interrupted their evening worship service May 22, 2011. “There were about 10 or so of us in the library,” he said, “and there were others in the nursery. That’s the older part of the church with smaller rooms and better-built walls. We had maybe 10 … [Read more...]
6,700 flock to Jeff City despite rain
JEFFERSON CITY – Steady rain and temperatures dipping into the 40s might throw a wet blanket on most outdoor events, but not this one. An estimated 6,700 people from across denominational lines huddled under umbrellas on the chilly, soggy south lawn of Missouri’s Capitol May 17 as Franklin Graham called them to repentance and political engagement. “I have no hope in the Democratic party,” Graham said. “I have no hope in the Republican party. The only hope for this country is Almighty God. … [Read more...]
Mo. Baptists respond to Texas floods
HOUSTON, Texas – While spring has thus far been rather mild in Missouri, Texas has been hit hard by floods and Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief units have answered the call for help. Ten Missouri volunteers are assisting Disaster Relief (DR) units from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) in a feeding unit, and will remain there for ten days, prepping an average of 6,000 meals a day. While they were there, a windstorm struck and destroyed the kitchen, which took a day to … [Read more...]
MBC Executive Board OK’s $14.8M budget
OSAGE BEACH – Meeting at the Lake of the Ozarks, the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) executive board approved a $14.8 million budget goal for 2017 and tended to the business of the Lord’s work April 11 and 12. “The Cooperative Program is doing quite well,” MBC Executive Director John Yeats told the board. “Lottie Moon [offering for international missions] did well last year and is looking to advance this year. Annie Armstrong [offering for North American missions] looks to be be strong … [Read more...]
Northwest BSU tackles flood clean up
EUREKA – Forget playing in the beaches of Florida, a group of 30 students from Northwest Missouri State University’s Baptist Student Union chose to spend their spring break along the cold, damp banks of the Big River cleaning up property damaged by January’s flooding. The students partnered with Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief and Central Baptist Church here. They more or less adopted a half-mile of road along the Big River and poured all their efforts into three houses. “One house was … [Read more...]
Kelley joins Branson’s long-running gospel musical
BRANSON – Some of Elizabeth Kelley’s earliest and best memories are of singing old Gospel songs with her family. “I remember going with my parents to a nursing home,” she said. “They would get to pick a hymn and we would sing it. Those songs are so special.” Now she gets to relive those memories and make new one as one of Branson’s newest performers. Kelley plays Denise Sanders, one of the roles in “Smoke on the Mountain,” a Southern Gospel musical comedy set at a small, country Baptist … [Read more...]
Hundreds rally in support of SJR 39
JEFFERSON CITY – Filling every square-foot of the Capitol Rotunda and with many looking on from the balconies above, more than 300 people swarmed Missouri’s State House, April 19, in defense of religious liberty and in support of the Senate Joint Resolution 39 (SJR 39). Standing ovations punctuated the rally as various leaders and lawmakers defended SJR 39, also known as the Missouri Religious Freedom Amendment, and urged the crowd to tell their elected leaders to pass SJR 39 without … [Read more...]
Demand for MBCH services rising
BRIDGETON – Booming business for the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home means that more children are experiencing a crisis at home, but if someone has to take care of children in need, MBCH is happy to be a safe, positive Christian landing zone. Trustees for MBCH met Jan. 26 at the main campus here to review 2015 and plan for the future. The Children’s Home’s Children and Family Ministries (CFM) saw requests for therapeutic group homes skyrocket in 2015, totalling 470. This is more than … [Read more...]
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