Hannibal – Gospel singer Lynda Randle appreciates the mission of Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU), having benefitted from Christian schools herself. However, Randle, the keynote speaker/singer at the 72nd annual HLGU Booster Banquet Nov. 22 learned some hard life lessons before finding Christian schools. She shared a video of her life-story book called The Cab Driver’s Daughter. It tells how her parents divorced, and her mother and older brother moved from Washington, D.C., where … [Read more...]
Southern Missouri pastor, wife take gospel to inmates
RAYMONDVILLE – A pastor and wife are seeing a revival of sorts behind bars. Frank White, and his wife Pat have done ministry just over two years at the Texas County jail. He has pastored First Baptist, Raymondville, for nine years. Attendance has grown from six to more than 40 people, in this town of 163. But kingdom growth is also happening in jail. More than 150 inmates have come to faith in Jesus the last two years, and 17 others rededicated their lives. In the 1970s he … [Read more...]
Pastor serves as an assistant to Lt. Governor
PERRY – On Sundays, he is in the pulpit at First Baptist, Perry. During the rest of the week he handles phone calls for Missouri’s second highest elected official. Willis Jones is the interim pastor at First Baptist Church, Perry, and is also director of constituent services for Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau. Jones has been involved in political campaigns for 18 years, and in January was named to the government position. “When people call our office, I try to calm them … [Read more...]
Dhati Lewis practices the discipleship often preached
KANSAS CITY – Jesus told His followers to make disciples, and Dhati Lewis lives this out in unique ways. Lewis, founding pastor of Blueprint Church in Atlanta, Ga., was a featured speaker at the CORE Conference during the Missouri Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, Oct. 29. Lewis shared a humorous but poignant illustration of talk versus action. “It came to pass that a group of people existed who called themselves fishermen,” Lewis said. “There were many fish around and many streams … [Read more...]
Coleman: Prayer key for spiritual revival
KANSAS CITY – The adage is familiar: prayer leads to revival. This was the gist of a talk by author and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary professor Robert Coleman during the CORE conference at the Missouri Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, Oct. 29. “Revival puts it all in perspective,” said Coleman, author of The Master Plan of Evangelism and The Master Plan of Discipleship. “Authentic revival is the springboard of what you see in the book of Acts.” “Jesus told the disciples … [Read more...]
Pastor’s conference lifts up Christ Jesus
KANSAS CITY – Fullness in life and ministry come only through knowing Christ, two Southern Baptist seminary professors said when asked why ministers should sacrifice a full day for a conference on “seeing and savoring the Son of God.” “We can’t minister if we’re not full of God,” said Thomas Schreiner, professor of New Testament interpretation and associate dean of Scripture and interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. “The greatest good in life … [Read more...]
Twice Adopted tells of God’s Love at Branson, on tour
ST. LOUIS – Adopting 10 children into a family might seem daunting, but it works for Randy and Linda Koenig who live in a St. Louis suburb. Their children, adopted between 1990 and 2002, now range in age from 16 to 23. They sing as “Twice Adopted” at the historic Owens Theatre, Branson’s first theatre, which the Koenigs manage. The name indicates inclusion in a physical family as well as a spiritual family, as all the children have surrendered their lives to Jesus. After 11 childless … [Read more...]
Pastor, family make return to Congo for mission work
KINSHASA, Congo – It is a dark, occult-like world, but a Missouri pastor and his family took the message of Jesus’ love to the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo during a recent mission trip. First Baptist, LaBelle, Pastor James Renot and family took a two-week trip in June to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, a place where they served as International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries from 2005-07. Now, few missionaries are there, with even IMB pulling out. “The obstacles … [Read more...]
God calls a cop to become full-time pastor
Pleasant Valley – Open Door Bible Baptist Church in Pleasant Valley is more than a church-plant name. It describes the path of its pastor Shane Stamm. Stamm was 19 when he began a career with the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) in 1993. He’ll leave the force in December. “It’s a super job. When I tell people I’m walking away, they ask why don’t I wait for six years (for full retirement). I’m walking away from a $70,000 job to basically nothing. It’s a wonderful thing,” Stamm … [Read more...]
Churches, MBC hold apartment complex block party
WASHINGTON – One unique distinction held by Southern Baptists is a willingness to work together through the Cooperative Program to spread the gospel. A recent block party here demonstrated how that type of cooperation works at a local level. Joe Murray pastors Great Commission Baptist Church, consisting largely of attendees from a nearby apartment complex. A half-dozen churches and organizations partnered with Murray’s congregation to hold a block party for the people in the complex Aug. … [Read more...]
Aloha! Missourians plant new work in Hawaii
EWA BEACH, Oahu, Hawaii – The idyllic beaches with gentle ocean waves stirring the sand under palm trees don’t tell a complete Hawaiian picture. Missouri native Aaron Davis has pastored church-plant Aloha Community Church, on Ewa Beach on Oahu island in Hawaii since July, 2012, with wife Samantha, son Caleb, 10, and foster son, Kerry, 2. The initial church plant was funded, in part, by Cooperative Program gifts from the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) and Davis received his church … [Read more...]
Jefferson Baptist Association WMU group holds Christmas in August event
ST. LOUIS – The gift for attendees at a Christmas in August event for the Jefferson Baptist Associaiton Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) event was the conference itself. The conference Aug. 17 had the theme “The story lives on,” and featured St. Louis author Brenda Poinsett and actress Donna Douglas, best known for “Elly May Clampett” on TV’s The Beverly Hillbillies. Poinsett shared from one of her two Christmas-themed books Unwrapping Martha’s Joy, which asks can Martha have a “Mary” … [Read more...]