This month we celebrate the greatest gift that was ever given to mankind – the gift of a Savior and a Redeemer. When we accept and receive that gift, we enter into an eternal, everlasting relationship with the God who is the Author of all creation and who formed us and knew us, even in the womb. What a gift! And it is one we are to share with others. The shepherds heard the message of the glad tidings of the birth of the Savior from the angels. But, Jesus told us that we are to be His … [Read more...]
MWMU pushes forward to equip churches missions
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri WMU board members want to push forward their support for international missionaries through the 2020 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO). The topic resonated throughout Missouri WMU (MWMU) Board Meeting held at the Baptist Building here in November. Along with an emphasis on LMCO, the board had a full agenda of reports from board members, consultants and specialists. Messages were also delivered by MBC Executive Director John Yeats, missionary speakers and … [Read more...]
‘Church undivided’: New curriculum leads churches to grow in love, faith, unity
ST. LOUIS – Bob Ingle says church unity is a bit like a kiss—the actual experience is so much different than a description. “The dictionary definition of a kiss is pretty mundane. But, if you’ve ever experienced a kiss, you know it’s far better than the definition.” He says church unity is similar: “You can give a definition of unity but the experience is far sweeter and you know it when you have it and you know when you don’t. And it’s an awful thing when you don’t.” Ingle, lead pastor at … [Read more...]
Online Youth Evangelism Conference set, Dec. 29
JEFFERSON CITY – High school and middle school church groups are being encouraged to participate in the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) online Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC), Dec. 29. The virtual event will feature guest speaker Jay Barbier, youth ministry specialist with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Micah Christopher will lead worship, and Christian illusionist Brock Gill will also perform throughout the event. YEC will take place from 9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., involving three … [Read more...]
Your generosity matters to the unreached
SOUTH ASIA – Years of heartache, frustration and setbacks have been the unfortunate anthem song of ministry efforts among an unreached Muslim people group in South Asia. God is the divine composer and has already written the musical score to accompany this people group’s story. Local Christians and IMB workers are anticipating a crescendo where the fruits of long, hard years of labor will lead to a strong and multiplying church. For nearly 20 years, the IMB struggled to maintain a … [Read more...]
Twelve accept Christ as eyeglasses clinic keeps focus on gospel
KANSAS CITY – After they had to postpone their eyeglasses clinic this spring, Luis Mendoza, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Palabra Viva (Living Word Baptist Church), didn’t know what to expect for their November attempt. Aware that crowds would be a problem, he was reluctant to even advertise. Yet the people from the church’s northeast Kansas City neighborhood showed up for the joint ministry between Palabra Viva and Vision 3:16, an evangelistic vision care ministry. An hour before the doors … [Read more...]
Who was the Angel of the Lord?
This is the 19th in a series of articles on the Trinity, excerpted from “What Every Christian Should Know About the Trinity,” available through Amazon and other booksellers. Identified as Yahweh and yet distinct from Him, “the angel of the LORD” appears numerous times throughout the Old Testament. This messenger is above all others. He is called “commander of the LORD’s army,” “the God of Abraham,” “Judge,” and “I AM WHO I AM” – a name only the one true God ever claims. Who is this … [Read more...]
Military church at Pearl Harbor supports Cooperative Program
HONOLULU (BP) – Not until 16 years after Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941, did the pleas of an Air Force chaplain’s wife for a church to focus on the needs of military personnel come to fruition. First Southern Baptist Church of Pearl Harbor (FSBCPH), located just outside the gates of military housing, today draws between 50 and 100 mostly military personnel and their families. The number varies depending on deployments and change of duty stations, but the church’s commitment to … [Read more...]
Remembering lives given for the cause of Christ
Week of Prayer for International Missions: Day 5 Throughout its 175-year history, Southern Baptists have maintained an uninterrupted witness among the nations, in spite of famine, war and civil unrest. This commitment has not come without sacrifice. Approximately 60 missionaries and children have died due to violent circumstances while serving with the International Mission Board (formerly the Foreign Mission Board) since the organization’s founding in 1845. The causes include accidents … [Read more...]
Reaching the hard-to-reach in the Amazon rainforest
Week of Prayer for International Missions: Day 4 The small group of men boards a single-engine Cessna. After a little more than a two-hour flight, they land on a small airstrip deep in the Amazon rainforest. From there they board a boat and settle in for the ride. Their destination, an isolated village of a tribe called the Akawa*, is still more than seven hours away. If this conjures memories of Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn battling mosquitoes and heat in the 1951 film “The … [Read more...]
MBCollegiate blessed by supportive churches
JEFFERSON CITY – It might not be a stretch of the imagination to say that without local churches, Baptist Student Union would not exist. Historically, BSU ministries have been started, prayed for, supported by, and funded through regional associations, local churches, and individual church members. The same is true today, over a century since the first BSU opened. “Being an Associational ministry, the BSU is, in effect, a partnering ministry,” says Aaron Werner, Campus Missionary at … [Read more...]
‘Jesus before Bethlehem’: MBC launches Audible version of new resource
JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Baptist Convention has just released an audio version of its popular printed resource, Jesus Before Bethlehem: What Every Christian Should Know About the Angel of the LORD. Published earlier this year in print and Kindle editions through its imprint, High Street Press, Jesus Before Bethlehem is now available through Audible, the premiere audio-book platform, which may be accessed at Audible.com. The book explores dozens of Old Testament appearances by a … [Read more...]