Charles Braddix/Baptist Press JOHANNESBURG (BP) – A young child sits on the side of the road in Madagascar crushing rocks with a hammer almost too heavy for him to hold. Another accidentally slices his hand open with a machete while opening cocoa pods on a plantation in Ghana. A young teenage girl, trafficked for the sex industry, walks the beaches of Kenya looking for business. A young boy squats naked in a mineshaft in Burkina Faso, chipping ore and loading it into buckets all … [Read more...]
Baptist troubadours strum gospel in Sochi
Evelyn Adamson/Baptist Press SOCHI, Russia (BP) – Members of the Earl Brackin Band sing and strum their traditional bluegrass instruments, rendering a soul-stirring version of “I’ll Fly Away,” as dozens of Olympics fans gather to listen, some of whom capture the music on their smartphones. Earl Brackin, minister of worship at Church on the Hill in Dalton, Ga., said prior to leaving for Russia, “In Sochi, we’ll be like troubadours. Since bluegrass bands don’t need electricity, we can … [Read more...]
Sochi: Missouri trooper has biblical encounter
William Bagsby/Baptist Press SOCHI, Russia (BP) – In the basement of a church hung a forgotten American flag, and when John Christensen laid eyes on it, he knew it was the flag he’d been praying for to take to the Sochi Olympics. “I have a flag at home, but I just thought, ‘Lord, show me a flag. I want to have a symbol to take.’ And the very first time I walked into that church,” Christensen recalls, “I saw that flag hanging there and I told our pastor, ‘I’m taking this flag to … [Read more...]
Naghmeh Abedini Speaking at Geneva Summit 2014
Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of persecuted and imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini, shares her family's story and speaks against Iran's oppression of religious freedom. … [Read more...]
Ukraine’s violence escalates
KIEV, Ukraine (BP) – Scripture portions helped provide a flicker of faith as violence escalated in Ukraine on Feb. 18. At least 25 were killed and hundreds injured as government forces acted to forcibly remove protesters from Kiev’s Independence Square. The dead include civilians and police officers. The Interior Ministry demanded that protesters leave the square by 8 p.m. Feb. 18. When the deadline passed, riot police dismantled barricades with the help of armored vehicles, water … [Read more...]
Nepalese love story started with a leaf
Caroline Anderson/IMB KATHMANDU, Nepal (BP) – In the West, the question, “How did you meet your spouse?” garners a variety of answers. Some husbands and wives meet in high school or college. Some are set up on blind dates or meet through dating websites. Other couples meet through mutual friends. Bal and Anila Rai met through the sounds of a leaf. The Rais believe music and instruments are not just a way to meet spouses but are a way people can connect with their Creator. In the … [Read more...]
Glenstone Baptist plants Filipino church
SPRINGFIELD – When God reveals a need, the church is called to action. At least, that’s what the people at Glenstone Baptist Church believe. In 2005 a study was done showing that a significant population of Filipino-Americans had moved into the Springfield area. Immediately, Glenstone Baptist went to work. They started with an at-home Bible study and the ministry took off from there. In 2006, the church called Ednor Sebag from the Philippines as missions pastor and, with additional … [Read more...]
Winter Olympics outreach ready
William Bagsby/International Mission Board Editor’s note: For more information on Southern Baptists’ efforts concerning the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, visit commissionstories.com/sochi-winter-olympics. The site will be updated with stories, photos, videos, prayer requests and more during the Feb. 7-23 Games. SOCHI, Russia (BP) – Will Baptists have a witness at the Winter Olympics in Russia? Will it be safe from terrorists? Will other issues arise? Marc Ira Hooks, one 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...]
Risking marriage for Jesus
Don Graham/International Mission Board Editor’s note: Mary and John Harper* served in South Asia as Southern Baptist representatives through gifts to the Cooperative Program, which fund the presence and missions outreach of nearly 5,000 Southern Baptist personnel internationally. (*Name changed) CENTRAL ASIA (BP) – John Harper* had just blown it. The Missouri-born Southern Baptist missionary watched as a wave of anger washed over the face of his new friend, Rasheed,* whom he’d just … [Read more...]
Native Filipino “man of prayer” Ed Moncada re “prayer walking, riding, for spiritual awakening”
Ed Moncada, a member of the Leadership Development Team for the Missouri Baptist Convention, shares about his life and work. Find more great interviews like this one at: http://www.haroldhendrick.com/ … [Read more...]
Saeed Abedini’s wife testifies before Congress
WASHINGTON (BP) – Less than two weeks before Christmas, Naghmeh Abedini testified before Congress on behalf of her husband, U.S. citizen and pastor Saeed Abedini, who has been imprisoned in Iran since last June because of his Christian faith. “My husband is suffering because he is a Christian,” Abedini said when she addressed a subcommittee hearing of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee on Dec. 12. “He is suffering because he is an American. Yet, his own government … [Read more...]
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