This year, the Baptist Theological Institute (ITB), in Bucharest, Romania, celebrated 100 years of existence and partnership with Southern Baptists. From vision-casting to sending personnel, Southern Baptists have walked alongside Romanian Baptists. The plot of land the institute sits on and the buildings that house it were purchased with Southern Baptist money, some of which was raised by members of Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) who sold eggs collected on Sunday mornings. That … [Read more...]
Recycled Bible study materials get second life
Two Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) churches have found new uses for their former Sunday School and other Bible study materials, while also supporting international mission activities. New Florence Baptist in eastern Missouri sends volunteers each year to Love Packages. “We’ve been going there for 8 years,” Pastor Brian Larkin says, “and I have never heard an adult or a youth say they would never go back there again. Even though the work can be physically demanding (our folks)…are … [Read more...]
High Street Press seeking Missouri Baptist authors
JEFFERSON CITY – Beginning Jan. 1, High Street Press, the publishing imprint of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC), is inviting Missouri Baptist authors to submit manuscripts and manuscript proposals through an online author’s portal at highstreet.press. High Street Press exists to partner with Missouri Baptist authors to create reasonably priced, theologically sound books that help transform lives and communities with the gospel. Prospective authors may complete an online form and … [Read more...]
Wildwood family builds legacy of music, faith
WILDWOOD – Music, family, and service are all a part of Denise Konneman’s heritage. Konneman recently stepped away from sharing her talent as the pianist at Fellowship of Wildwood to move with her retired husband, Larry, to Liberty, Mo., to be near her children and grandchildren. “My mom began my music career,” Konneman said. “She played several instruments because of her musical family, and she wanted us to grow up with music.” Konneman’s dad, Dick Clark, member of Fellowship of … [Read more...]
Hospital honors church for service amid pandemic
INDEPENDENCE – Sometimes, “paying-it-forward” brings return blessings. This could summarize the relationship of Country Meadows Baptist Church (CMBC) and Centerpoint Hospital. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, CMBC wanted to do something to reach out to the hospital caring for patients with the virus and other medical needs. “We wanted to do something, but not what everyone else was doing. We wanted to make a difference,” said Pastor Ashley Olinger. Olinger said he and a … [Read more...]
Bibles help welcome new Baptist Homes campus to family
INDEPENDENCE – How do you help residents transition when Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries (BHHM) revamps an existing care facility, particularly one where the residents may not have a gospel background? For Buddy Funk, campus pastor of newly acquired The Baptist Homes of Independence (until this summer known as Truman Gardens Nursing Home and The Chateau), the answer was simple: the Bible. ‘We Need Bibles’ “I was going around telling the residents that we were going to have a … [Read more...]
Youth Evangelism Conference scheduled for Jan. 16-17, 2022
REPUBLIC – The Missouri Baptist Convention will hold a Youth Evangelism Conference, Jan. 16-17, 2022, at the Calgary Baptist Church here. The event will feature Garrett Wagoner, who currently serves as pastor of discipleship and spiritual transformation at Fivestone Community Church in Plano, Texas. Previously, he served for 10 years overseeing student evangelism at the Southern Baptist Texas Convention. Pastor Chris Perstrope of Connect Church, St. Louis, along with his wife Rebecca, … [Read more...]
At HLGU Booster Banquet, Bevel challenges listeners to use talents to spread gospel
HANNIBAL – An actor in two popular Sherwood Baptist Church films challenged the Hannibal-LaGrange University audience to surrender to God for gospel growth. Ken Bevel, also known as Lt. Michael Simmons in the movie Fireproof and officer Nathan Hayes in Courageous, spoke at the 80th annual HLGU Booster Banquet. Bevel shared his testimony, including his experience in the Marines to now being Membership and Local Missions Pastor at Sherwood, where “on any given day I could be with a … [Read more...]
Troy church has record attendance for Christmas drama
TROY – “Beautiful weather” was attributed for record attendance at Troy First Baptist’s outdoor Christmas presentation, Journey to Bethlehem, according to church member Diane Campbell. “We had 1,737 people come through this year,” says Campbell, co-director of the presentation. Journey to Bethlehem is an interactive presentation with visitors passing through various stage sets on their way to Bethlehem at Christ’s birth. Campbell said the church presents the gospel story as an outdoor … [Read more...]
Trinitarian praise for our salvation
This is another in a series of excerpts from “What Every Christian Should Know About the Trinity,” published by the MBC’s High Street Press (visit highstreet.press). Since the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit constitute one divine being – one God – the work of salvation is shared among the members of the Trinity. No single member delivers all the elements of salvation, but together they accomplish all the work that produces redemption. Ephesians 1:3-14 is a good illustration of a Trinitarian … [Read more...]
Gilmore receives highest honor among Army chaplains
JEFFERSON CITY – Gary D. Gilmore, pastor of First Baptist Church, Marionville, and retired Missouri National Guard Senior Army Chaplain, was awarded, Nov. 18, with the highest award that a chaplain in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corp can receive. During a service at the chapel of the National Guard State Headquarters here, Gilmore was inducted into The Ancient Order of Martin of Tours. Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director John Yeats led the invocation during the award … [Read more...]
Annual legislative prayer service set for Jan. 5
JEFFERSON CITY – Lawmakers and citizens will gather for what has become a Jefferson City tradition when Concord Baptist Church, in conjunction with the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) Christian Life Commission, hosts the 17th annual Prayer Service for Missouri government leaders, Jan. 5, 2022, at 9 a.m. The event always marks the first day of each new session of the General Assembly. The featured speaker for the prayer service is Eddie Bumpers, pastor of Crossway Baptist Church, … [Read more...]