LEBANON – Miles down a windy gravel road, a blue-gray farm house is nestled near the bottom of a hill that gently rolls down to a valley. The home, 2,400 square feet, fully refurbished, and secluded, is operated by Restore Hope Ministries. It opens to a wide view of pastures, walnut groves, and river bluffs in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks. Kevin and Tammy Smith, a pastor and wife couple who minister at Heritage Baptist Church in Lebanon, Mo., recently opened the home as a haven for … [Read more...]
Bradley Jemes elected DOM of Laclede Baptist Association
LEBANON – The Laclede Baptist Association of churches unanimously elected Bradley Jemes as their next Director of Missions. Jemes, who will succeed his close friend, the late Steven Strauch, said he is humbled by the association’s confidence in him. His hope is to see Gospel cooperation in Laclede County continue to advance, building upon Strauch’s legacy. “Steven was always so gracious in everything he did,” Jemes said. “The way he lived the last two years of his life was a true … [Read more...]
Greene County Baptist Association partners in Mexico for the long haul
SPRINGFIELD – A short-term mission trip over twenty-five years ago sparked a long-term mission partnership between the Greene County Baptist Association and the Emmanuel Baptist Association in Guadalajara, Mexico. Since 1997, churches in the GCBA have sent teams to Guadalajara, partnering with Mexican churches to meet practical needs and share the Gospel. According to Samuel Gonzalez, the GCBA Ethnic Ministry consultant, the partnership has produced much Gospel fruit. “The first … [Read more...]
SBU trustees adopt new strategic plan
BOLIVAR – Southwest Baptist University is the only college in the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities to include the word “caring” in its mission statement, SBU President Rick Melson told Trustees at their Fall meeting. Building on that distinctive, the SBU Trustees approved a new strategic plan to guide the University through its sesquicentennial celebration in 2028. “Institutions oftentimes serve themselves,” Melson told Trustees. “We want to be a student-first … [Read more...]
Caddy’s ministry integrates faith, art
WALNUT GROVE – For 25 years, Kurt Caddy served as the Director of University Ministries at Southwest Baptist University. After retiring in 2022, Caddy formally launched Fourwinds Faith and Art, a ministry designed to inspire the church to use art for discipleship, worship, and evangelism. The ministry derives its name from Ezekiel 37:9 where God tells Ezekiel to call upon the four winds to bring life to the valley of dry bones. Caddy described the fourfold purpose of Fourwinds: educate … [Read more...]
SBU theatre students to compete in Washington D.C.
BOLIVAR (SBU) – Kylie Yeast first performed on stage at age 6. Cast in her community theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol, Yeast began a journey that has come to define her calling. Now a senior at SBU, Yeast recently added winner of the prestigious Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship to her long list of credits. The competition, named after the iconic actress best-known for her role as Granny on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” was part of the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre … [Read more...]
MLK’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’, ‘I Have a Dream’ speech encourage ‘ethic of love, justice’
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – From the isolation of a jail cell in Birmingham, Ala., to the open air of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., the year 1963 saw Martin Luther King Jr. deliver a prophetic critique, yet hopeful vision, for race relations in the United States of America. Sixty years later, King’s two works, the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream” speech, continue to echo his ethic of love and commitment to justice. Both works can continue to inspire and instruct … [Read more...]
With hope, SBU laboring to mend ‘brokenness’ in institutional life, Melson tells trustees
BOLIVAR – After Rick Melson received an official thanks for completing his first year of service as president, he stood before Southwest Baptist University (SBU) trustees with a small, unusual clay pot in his hand. Melson explained that the pot, clearly shattered and repaired, was an example of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of recrafting broken vessels. Kintsugi artists do not seek to hide cracks or flaws, but instead use special lacquer laced with rare metals to repair broken pots and make … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists rally to support HLGU
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article includes additional reporting from Hannibal-LaGrange University. HANNIBAL – Hannibal-LaGrange University’s (HLGU) financial crisis came as a jolt to many, but the families of faculty and staff bore the full force of impact. Amidst the uncertainty, those most invested in the school began to look for a sign that God was still with them. Immanuel Baptist Church here has proven true to its name by providing just such a sign in the form of a $100,000 donation. But … [Read more...]
First Baptist Church, Macon, trusts God’s Word to transform lives
MACON – Church growth is not always easy to identify. Nickels and noses are easiest to count, but numbers may not reveal the full story. First Baptist, Macon, like many other churches, hasn’t seen a revival, at least if revival means overflow crowds. But according to Pastor Phil Bray, the church continues to trust in the power of God’s Word to make old men new and transform believers into the image of Christ. Over the last two years, FBC Macon has faced the same challenges as other … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists host retreat for Montana church planters, pastors
ANACONDA, Mont. – Montana is changing. Regal mountains and boundless horizons still welcome visitors, but with people moving to the Big Sky State in droves, the human landscape has shifted. In 2020, Missouri Baptists partnered with our sister churches in Montana to hold up their arms as they reach out to native Montanans and now, new arrivals. As part of that partnership, Missouri Baptist Pastor Lane Harrison of LifePoint Church, Ozark, Mo., led a team of Missouri Baptists to host a … [Read more...]
‘We want them to come to Jesus’: Southern Baptist chaplain a gospel witness at Fort Leonard Wood Army base
FORT LEONARD WOOD – The Fort Leonard Wood Army base here is a hub for military training that sees thousands of new soldiers pass through the gates each year. Army Chaplain Bryan Hensley, a Missouri native and graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, sees it as his mission to sow spiritual seeds in the lives of new soldiers. One of the greatest challenges these warriors face, according to Hensley, is the isolation that comes with military life. Having himself served in the … [Read more...]