COLUMBIA – Parkade Baptist Church here will host an Experiencing God Retreat, Feb. 20-21, sponsored by the Mid-Missouri Baptist Association (formerly, the Little Bonne Femme Association) and the Missouri Baptist Convention. The retreat features Claude King, discipleship specialist from LifeWay Christian Resources, who joined Henry Blackaby 25 years ago to write and publish the classic discipleship study, Experiencing God. Since its publication in 1990, Experiencing God has sold more than 7 … [Read more...]
Servant evangelism: ‘Crazy love’ lights up Missouri
Reports are coming in from churches lighting up their communities for Jesus! Darron Edwards serves as pastor of United Believers Church in Kansas City. They conducted “Transformers” evangelism training in April. “Mothers Like You,” was a prayer breakfast conducted on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. There were 21 women that made a commitment to return to church. In June, the church distributed more than 1,100 water bottles in 10 strategic locations. In July and August, they conducted VBS … [Read more...]
Mountain lion, gospel on menu for First Lowry City
LOWRY CITY – More than 700 men, women and children attended the Sportsman’s Extravaganza & Wild Game Dinner hosted by the First Baptist Church here last month. In order to attract as many sportsmen as possible, the event is not held at the church but instead at Lakeland High School. More than just a wild game dinner, this year’s event featured a music concert and a full-slate of outdoor sportsman activities including outdoor clinics and workshops. The church did their first … [Read more...]
Concord Association trains for cross-cultural outreach
JEFFERSON CITY – A group of leaders from churches in the Concord Association met here last month to plan for cross-cultural outreach in the region. They used data about international populations here that was gathered by Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) interns this summer. With this information, they prioritized the top five people groups who have come to the area from the following countries: India, China, Philippines, Sierra Leone, and Jamaica. They reported that there are 30 languages … [Read more...]
DOM leans on God through depression, anxiety
MOBERLY – Churches in America have made great strides when it comes to minister to the broken and hurting, the confused, abused and angry. But there is still one taboo that Rick Hall, the director of missions for Crossroads Baptist Association says the church still does address, and it’s one he’s intimately aware of for all his adult life: mental health. “It’s almost like modern-day leprosy,” Hall said. “If you have cancer, or a tumor or a heart attack, people understand and help you. … [Read more...]
Baptist State Fair Tent nets 54 decisions for Christ
SEDALIA – About 1,300 State Fair attenders looking for corn dogs, carnival rides and deals on snazzy merchandise stopped by the Missouri Baptist tent located near the fair’s midway. They had the opportunity to step inside the tent and register for a free 50-inch TV and blue ray entertainment unit. Well, it was almost free. They had to give the volunteers three minutes of their time before they could register. The 165 volunteers who worked at the tent during the 11-day fair shared about … [Read more...]
Laclede Association partners with NAMB in East St. Louis
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – It’s easy to forget about the “other” St. Louis on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, but the churches of Laclede Baptist Association have seen Kingdom results in East St. Louis as part of the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) Send initiative. Seventeen volunteers from seven churches in the association partnered with Light of Christ Church in East St. Louis in late July. The weeklong ministry project focused on Vacation Bible School, electrical repairs … [Read more...]
Crossroads youth live out Acts 1:8 over summer
MOBERLY – Summer is supposed to be teenagers’ time off, but for a group of students from Crossroads Baptist Association it has been go go go. Bonnie Carter has been leading the association’s student summer missions team for nine years, and this summer has led ten students from around the area on mission locally, in Branson, Omaha, Neb. and Winnipeg, Canada. Nine are high school students, and one is a collegiate summer missionary through the Missouri Baptist Convention. “I absolutely … [Read more...]
Collins is frequent flyer to Holy Land
BLUE SPRINGS – Robert Collins of Blue Springs must enjoy the Holy Land, because he’s preparing to lead his 68th trip to Israel in October. “It’s being able to introduce other people, including pastors, to Israel and the Holy Land,” Collins said, explaining why he keeps returning there. “It is the difference in reading the Bible and walking the Bible.” “Common things you hear – not to be mystical – are people having a sense of being at home. These are places you read about – the Sea of … [Read more...]
Grand Oaks splashes into summer
Richard Nations/contributing writer CHILLICOTHE – Grand Oaks Baptist Assembly dedicated a new swimming pool just in time for the summer camp season. The pool dedication was held May 27 as the St. Joseph Baptist Association convened their week of camp at the Grand Oaks facility. The group thanked God for the pool and reminded the youth about the work of God which went into the establishment of the camp and the pool. Eight north Missouri Baptist associations share in the ownership and … [Read more...]
Call to prayer Aug. 21
Pastors and church leaders, please accept my personal invitation to a Heartland Prayer Summit Aug. 21. Our facilitators are SBC President Ronnie Floyd and OneCry leader Bill Elliff. We are meeting at Crossway Baptist Church in Springfield from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Included is a light lunch. There is no cost for the event other than to arrive with an anxious heart to call out to the Lord. We do need you to register online or by calling Betty Benz Pulliam at 573.636.0400 ext. 302. I … [Read more...]
The gospel on the fast track
WHEATLAND – Baptists in the west-central region of Missouri want to steer people to the love of Christ. For this reason, they’ve joined hands in ministry, sharing the gospel and distributing Bibles and other “Find It Here” items at the Lucas Oil Speedway here, April 26. The Fellowship Baptist Association, Miller Baptist Association, Mid-Lakes Baptist Association and area churches cooperated with one another and with the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) to fund this ministry event. … [Read more...]