LOUISIANA, Mo. – For the first time in over a year, two congregations met in their separate church buildings. Until early March, New Jerusalem Tabernacle of Praise – a non-denominational and predominantly black congregation here – had worshipped with the predominantly white First Baptist Church, after a fire severely damaged the New Jerusalem building in 2020. Horace Walters, pastor of New Jerusalem and Bill Maupin, pastor of First Baptist shared the worship times, both preaching … [Read more...]
Vawter leads rural Wright-Douglas-Ozark association with enthusiasm, energy
MANSFIELD – The Ozark hills of Southwest Missouri are rugged and rocky. Cattle are raised here and a lot of people have chosen to live there. Some of them work as farmers and others commute to jobs in the larger towns. Keith Vawter is a missionary to the churches and communities of Wright-Douglas-Ozark Baptist Association. He seems energetic and enthused about his work there. He has served as director of missions in the association for two years. Previously he was an area … [Read more...]
Oklahoma church meets one week after losing building, parsonage
KINGSTON, Okla. (BP) – Keith Rogers planned to celebrate his 65th birthday preaching to Texoma Southern Baptist Church on March 27. Despite a tornado that destroyed the building and his home days earlier, he was still able to do so. A fast-moving storm through this area on the Texas/Oklahoma border March 21 destroyed or heavily damaged most of the buildings on the church’s property. Built in 1972, it had added other sections over the years including a gym, education space and the … [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...]
Faith Community brings gospel to north St. Louis
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering provides half of the North American Mission Board’s annual budget, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to resource missionaries. The offering’s theme this year is “United,” based on Romans 15:5-6. The 2022 Week of Prayer for North American Missions is March 6-13. ST. LOUIS (BP) – Michael Byrd went back to his old neighborhood to plant a church knowing ministry there would be challenging. So, when he met and befriended an unmarried couple … [Read more...]
Congregation of eight sees God bring new life, growth
‘I am amazed,’ says pastor at Mt. Nebo Baptist, Lockwood LOCKWOOD – Before Rick Sharp became the church’s pastor in October 2021, the eight adult members of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church here considered closing. Then God stepped in. “We’re not to be amazed when God works, but I am amazed. These eight people had struggled for years to keep it alive when we got here,” Sharp said. Those eight now number more than 60, even though the church is three miles outside of Lockwood. Sharp has … [Read more...]
Kansas City church sends Bibles to the Philippines
KANSAS CITY – Scripture is building heart connections and relationships between Kansas City and the Philippines. The first of two Bible building conferences was held at Country Meadows Baptist Church here. “We started the ministry by hand carrying about 300 Bibles to the Philippines,” Bill Barker, member of First Bible Baptist of Blue Springs, said. “When we learned the need for scripture especially in three of the 86 dialects spoken in the Philippines, we knew we must be involved.” The … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists stand with Ukraine
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson may be the highest ranking Missouri Baptist in the state who has prayed for and expressed support for the Ukrainian people, but he is not alone. "In the face of unprovoked Russian aggression, Ukrainians refuse to back down or cower to a dictator,” Gov. Parson, a member of First Baptist, Bolivar, said on March 1, announcing that the state Capitol dome would shine blue and yellow – the colors of the Ukrainian flag – through March 4. “Missouri … [Read more...]
Jefferson City pastor sees CP from both sides
JEFFERSON CITY (BP) – Since 2007, Cornerstone Baptist Church has sent 10 percent of its undesignated offerings to missions through the Cooperative Program, the way Southern Baptist churches work together to spread the Gospel in North America and throughout the world. “We just believe the Cooperative Program is the primary way to reach the world for Christ,” Pastor Brian Credille said. “We are open to doing other things, but I don’t think anything else could take the place of sending career … [Read more...]
‘Miracle from God’ needed, Ukrainian Baptist leader, Southwestern alum, says
LVIV, Ukraine (BP) — “We need a miracle from God,” Yaroslav Pyzh, president of the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary in Lviv, Ukraine, said from his western Ukraine home in a Zoom interview with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s news staff on the evening of Feb. 26. As he prays for the miracle, Pyzh is marshaling the people and resources of his school to help refugees of the war. Pyzh, a 2012 Doctor of Philosophy graduate of Southwestern Seminary, has served as president … [Read more...]
Ridge Church pursues ‘kingdom growth’ via multiple campuses in eastern Missouri
VILLA RIDGE – When The Ridge Church paid off its debt in 2016, Pastor Roger Johnson shared with members that he was uninterested in “adding more buildings” to the current campus. The congregation had already adopted smaller churches to help revitalize, and changed its name from First Baptist of Villa Ridge to emphasize the partnership. He wanted to continue revitalizing struggling churches. “I felt like God wanted us to think more in terms of kingdom growth,” Johnson says. “God began to … [Read more...]
Temple Baptist, Sullivan, serve community, world
SULLIVAN – Organization and structure are friends of the ministries of Temple Baptist Church in Sullivan. “We call it efficiency and stewardship,” G. Scott Perry, senior pastor said. Member Ron Eichwald agreed with Perry. “Our church doesn’t want to stay in the building,” he said. “Pastor has always said that if you have a feasible ministry idea and the people to do it, the church will do whatever it takes to support it. So, now we have many competent people in different … [Read more...]
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