CAMDENTON – The energy, variety and flexibility of Vacation Bible School attracts children, and the First Baptist Church of Camdenton has injected their Sunday morning Bible study for children with those traits. “We were not reaching young families,” Randy Chappell, minister of music, said. “We started looking around for new opportunities and curriculum. We observed how much the kids loved VBS, and we wondered if there was a way to tap into it every week.” After meetings with Senior … [Read more...]
Mo. missionaries brew a method to reach Indonesia
Editor’s note: Names have been changed for security. INDONESIA – When God pricked the hearts of Missouri missionaries Jim and Marcia to minister in Indonesia, they didn’t expect to be in the coffee business. “Indonesia is a country of creative access,” Jim said. “Visas are not granted for missionaries. It is illegal for active evangelism or proselytizing. So, we spent our first year in southern Sumatra learning how to live in the country and to get a foreign visa.” Coffee proved to be … [Read more...]
Real Encounter stunts bring 64 to Christ
RUSSELLVILLE – Brad Bennett and other members of Real Encounter flew through the air with the greatest of ease, but it wasn’t on a trapeze. It was on a bicycle. Real Encounter is a ministry of professional athletes in the area of moto stunts, street bike stunts and BMX stunts. This year, Real Encounter earned a standing ovation from the judges on “America’s Got Talent.” According to the team, “the extreme stunt show is our platform, but Jesus Christ has center-stage in our lives as … [Read more...]
Musical group helps churches take gospel to the streets
FERGUSON – Helping young people understand the relevance of the gospel is the focus of Tony Jones, youth minister at First Baptist Church, Ferguson, and his musical group, “Surrender 2 Him.” “We’ve got outreach on our heart,” Jones said. “We want to partner with churches and create these events on their parking lots to attract the community.” Music is one of the primary attractions, and “Surrender 2 Him” has that covered. Jones and his partner Kiesh are both performers of music with a … [Read more...]
Nine years after Hurricane Katrina, basketball, cheer camps spark life
FLORISSANT – Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was the backdrop for two churches to partner with Passage Community Church in St Louis to offer basketball and cheerleading camps. Bob Martin, minister of recreation and singles at Lone Oak Baptist Church in Paducah Kentucky, first met Willie Breaux, pastor of Christian Fellowship Cathedral in New Orleans, shortly after Katrina destroyed his church and his home. “We took several teams to New Orleans during the five years after Katrina,” Martin said. … [Read more...]
Rhonda Rhea releases book for pastor’s wives
TROY – Rhonda Rhea, a writer, speaker and wife of Richie Rhea, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Troy, wants “p-dubs,” aka pastor’s wives, “to get comfy, to be encouraged and to be inspired” with her new book, Join the Insanity: Crazy-Fun Life in the Pastors’ Wives Club. Rhea described her book as “one of those ‘heart of my heart’ projects.” “I’ve spoken to ministers’ wives up one side of this country and down the other,” Rhea said, “and I have found so many who are feeling alone, … [Read more...]
Scoffer becomes preacher
Bill Dudley and a group of his teenage friends rode in a pickup truck over to a revival tent to make fun of the people attending and making decisions that night. “I was 17, and I stopped going to church when I was twelve,” Dudley, now pastor of First Baptist Church, St. Robert, said. “So my friends and I thought it would be fun to make fun of the revival. We wanted to have a few laughs.” Dudley said it was a two-week revival in Ganter, Texas, held at the end of July through the beginning … [Read more...]
Heaven’s Anglers’ event to support children’s home
ARNOLD – “Heaven’s Anglers,” a Christian fishing club, has found a way to help children while promoting their sport. On May 31, Heaven’s Anglers will hold the 12th annual “Help a Child” Charity Fishing Event at Mark Twain Lake in northeast Missouri. “We’ve designed an event to share God’s Word and to fish,” said Gary Hollern, president of Heaven’s Anglers and member of First Baptist Church, Arnold, “all while fundraising for children.” The charities helped by the fishing event are the … [Read more...]
WMU celebrates 125 years of worldwide ministry
Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) has a great deal to celebrate, and the party is set for April 4-5. WMU’s “Missions Celebration” will be held at Second Baptist Church, Springfield. According to Laura Wells, Missouri WMU executive director, WMU is celebrating 125 years nationally, as well as 100 years of Girls in Action (GA) and 90 years of Missouri WMU. The April celebration targets any Missouri Baptists who desire to reach their state and their world with the gospel. “We are … [Read more...]
Missouri, Atlixco, Mexico churches forge partnership
WASHINGTON, Mo. – Thousands of people who need Christ live in Atlixco, a city in the Mexican state of Puebla. Faith Baptist Church in Washington and Rios de Agua Viva (Rivers of Living Water) Church in Atlixco have formed a partnership to meet that need. “We want to instill a desire in my people to show Christian love like Jesus,” Mario Ramirez, pastor of Rios de Agua Viva, told members of Faith Baptist Church during a visit to Missouri, Feb. 23. “It should be a priority regardless of … [Read more...]
MO pastor takes gospel to Olympics
FLORISSANT – The Olympic Games are a great meeting place for the people of the world, and Jeff Wells, senior pastor of Cross Keys Baptist Church here, believes it is a wonderful place to introduce them to Jesus. He is ready for his trip to Sochi, Russia. “The Olympics are Acts 1:8 all in one place,” Wells said. “People attend from all over the world, and I love to tell them about Jesus.” Wells tells the story about meeting two guys at the swimming venue in Beijing in 2008. “We started … [Read more...]
1st Ferguson opens to elementary school
FERGUSON – Snow and cold temperatures could cause more than a few closed days for Johnson Wabash Elementary School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. As the students were ready to return from the recent snow days, the custodial staff discovered a major sprinkler system break forcing relocation. The new location is First Baptist Church (FBC), Ferguson. “I was in the office expecting a quiet day because of the snow,” Ron Beckner, associate pastor of FBC Ferguson, said, “when the … [Read more...]