Disaster Relief volunteers clear out 100 - plus saturated homes WAYNESVILLE – Seven inches of rain poured on a 10-square-mile area of Pulaski County in a single, two-hour period Aug. 5. Add that to the other 15 inches of rain that fell over the previous two weeks, and the resulting flash floods led to a mud-out response from Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) and ongoing hard work by local churches. “Everything was saturated,” said Dwain Carter, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) … [Read more...]
MBC’s Kearns preaches ‘Thirst’ to 6,000 at Falls Creek
DAVIS, Okla. – It’s the largest youth camp in the world, and Missouri’s Matt Kearns shared the gospel there to crowds of 6,000 teenagers every night. Kearns, director of leadership development for the Missouri Baptist Convention, was the camp pastor for Falls Creek July 8-12, one of eight week-long camps that ministered to more than 50,000 students this summer. “It’s such a unique opportunity to be with that many students,” he said. “It’s like a small city.” The theme for the weeks at … [Read more...]
Bethany Church a model for churches, schools
CAPE GIRARDEAU – Who says there’s no prayer in schools? There is at Alma Schrader Elementary School in Cape Girardeau. Bethany Baptist Church here has adopted the school through a Chamber of Commerce program and that has led not only to a positive relationship between the school and church members, but allowed them to prayerwalk the halls and stop at each door before the start of school this fall. You’re being relational, getting to know people, and then that leads to more opportunities to … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists to share 1 million Bibles
JEFFERSON CITY – Over the next two years, Missouri Baptist churches will distribute one million Bibles through service and one-on-one encounters. At least, that’s the goal of Light Up Missouri, the thrust of God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS), an ongoing joint initiative by the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) for 2014 and 2015. Over all, the goal of GPS is to spread the gospel to every person in Missouri by 2020. The idea is to get outside the church … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief responds to floods
WAYNESVILLE — Heavy rains and subsequent floods from the Gasconade and other rivers soaked much of central Missouri over the past week, leading to road closures and churches opening their doors to victims. Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Aug. 6, as Mark Twain National Forest and many roads, including main north-south artery Highway 63 were closed. More than a foot of rain fell over a few days in the Waynesville area, flooding more than 100 homes. The Red Cross opened a … [Read more...]
Three saved through MBCH ministries
BRIDGETON – Trustees of Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (MBCH) heard reports of ministry success and three salvations at their quarterly board meeting July 23 here. “I’ve told you many times before that this report is a bunch of numbers,” Russell Martin, MBCH vice president and treasurer, said, “but they also represent real people and children that have been touched for the cause of Christ.” Sixty-four youth have been served in MBCH therapeutic group homes so far this year, while 29 … [Read more...]
FBC Norwood recovering from church shooting
NORWOOD – Three days after church-goers left their pews mid-sermon to tackle a gunman armed with a .357 magnum revolver, they returned to their seats at First Baptist Church for Bible Study and to talk through the experience with Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Disaster Relief (DR) chaplains. Many were quiet at first, but by the end of the evening most of the 25 people present began to open up about the traumatic events of July 21 that left the congregation shaken but thankfully … [Read more...]
MBC Executive Board proposes $14.5 million budget
JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Board July 9 voted to recommend a $14.5 million Cooperative Program (CP) budget during its meeting at the Baptist Building. If approved by a vote of messengers during the Oct. 28-30 MBC annual meeting in Kansas City, it is a slight decrease from the current budget to $14.645 million. Current cash flow is also positive, with CP receipts for this year projected to come in .74 percent ahead of last year. Reserves are also … [Read more...]
UPDATE: Gunman tackled after opening fire in Sunday morning worship
NORWOOD – A man is in custody after witnesses say he opened fire during the morning worship service at First Baptist Church here. One man injured his shoulder in the process of tackling the alleged gunman, though witnesses confirmed to The Pathway there were no other injuries. Pastor Stephen Fugitt was about halfway through his morning sermon July 21 when a man entered the church and fired between two and three shots. Fugitt told The Pathway the church has had previous contact with the … [Read more...]
From grief to hope in Jesus
JEFFERSON CITY – Speaking on the topic from the pulpit for the first time, Frank Page discussed the death of his 32-year-old daughter during Father’s Day services at Concord Baptist Church here. Page, the president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, said that while it was difficult for him to recount the trying period in his life, he hoped it would shed light on the problem of suicide in the church and point those struggling to the only source of hope … [Read more...]
Missouri 13th among states in registered messengers
HOUSTON – Attendance at the 2013 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting June 11-12 saw 5,103 messengers from the nation’s 45,000 Southern Baptist churches. Official numbers will not be released until later in June. The unofficial total is a 35 percent drop from last year’s annual meeting in New Orleans, which drew 7,868. There were 181 Missourians in attendance, a drop from 210 last year. In 1993, the last time Southern Baptists gathered in Houston, 17,768 messengers … [Read more...]
Missouri’s Chambers keeps SBC meeting on task, on time
HOUSTON – They’re perhaps the most appreciated words at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting: “I recommend we advance the agenda 20 minutes.” The bearer of that good news has been a Missouri Baptist: Andy Chambers, a member of West County Community Church. His day job is senior vice president for senior development and professor of Bible for Missouri Baptist University, but he has served each summer as the chairman of the SBC Committee on Order of Business working behind … [Read more...]