SPRINGFIELD – At 94, Anna Mae Barclay and Loene Ensor, are reminiscing about the ministries they’ve shared together since beginning their friendship in February of 1966. Glynn Ensor, Loene’s husband of 62 years, became the seventh pastor of Golden Avenue Baptist Church in Springfield, where Anna Mae was a charter member since the opening of its doors in 1950. The two became well acquainted very quickly. Anna Mae called Loene at midnight every Saturday night after she got off work, to … [Read more...]
Fellowship Greenwood men urged to be ‘close and clean’
GREENWOOD – It was about as manly a Saturday night as could be in the southern Kansas City community. A couple hundred men gathered and ate nachos. Less than 48 hours before the Chiefs would win the Super Bowl, the majority were sporting red and gold jerseys or hoodies. They were also there to worship and further develop a lifestyle defined by a clean heart and a close walk with Jesus. Fellowship Greenwood hosted its 6th annual men’s conference here Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Speakers John Mark … [Read more...]
FBC Warsaw votes unanimously for revitalization
WARSAW – Though he’d only been filling in at the pulpit for less than a month, First Baptist Church, Warsaw (FBCW) unanimously voted to call Pastor Tom Renfro to be their interim while they continued their pastor search. “It’s amazing how fast my wife, Cindy, and I built a rapport and were able to connect to them,” said Renfro, who has served bi-vocationally for years and recently retired early from his position as a college professor. “They offered me the interim position and I said I was … [Read more...]
Costephens leaving Ferguson for Navy chaplaincy
FERGUSON – After serving four years as pastor of First Baptist Church in Ferguson, Pastor Joe Costephens is entering the U.S. Navy as a chaplain. He will be entering as a lieutenant, and after training he will be attached to a Marine unit. He grew up in the North County region of St. Louis, part of the First Baptist Church, Ferguson. After seminary he and his wife, Sarah, planted a church in 2009 called Passage Community Church in nearby Florissant. In 2015 that church merged with First … [Read more...]
Christmas blessings: Child joins new family for the holidays
DURHAM – This is a story of a birth celebrated in December. No, not that birth, the Savior, but an adoption with providential seasonal timing. When John and Lindsey Bedsworth were engaged in Aug. 2015, they began planning a family and married four months later. “We thought we’d have one child of our own and adopt one or two. There were difficulties. We tried having children for three years unsuccessfully, and invitro fertilization failed in May 2018,” said John, Durham Baptist’s pastor … [Read more...]
Christmas concert goes to prison
JEFFERSON CITY – Roughly 150 prison inmates at the Jefferson City Correctional Center (JCCC) celebrated Christmas with a “Festival of Light” concert performed by the orchestra and choir from Concord Baptist Church here, Dec. 16. “One of my goals here is to help the worship ministry become more missional,” Brad Newbold, music pastor at Concord Baptist Church, told The Pathway. While he had been seeking a global mission opportunity for the music ministry, God was working behind the scenes to … [Read more...]
Rural Rock Springs reaps growth after years of prayer
LICKING – As the Lord spoke to him and the weight of conviction mounted on his heart, John Jordan white-knuckled the pew in front of him and fervently prayed. On that day—August 29, 1999, Jordan prayed for deliverance and he submitted his life to Christ… but he didn’t stop there. “I remember it so clearly,” he said. “I walked up the aisle and I was with the pastor and he said, ‘Do you want to pray?’ And I said yes. I knew what was missing because I had grown up in and out of church. I … [Read more...]
‘I Love My Church’ lets members take ownership in church’s upkeep
HUNTSVILLE – It’s a simple idea, but taking ownership of small, bite-sized projects has helped members of First Baptist Church, here complete a long list of neglected projects in and around their building. “We call it ‘I Love My Church Tuesdays,’” said John Rhodes, First Baptist’s pastor. Church trustees saw a list of projects that would have been cost-prohibitive to contract out, and instead asked church members to pitch in. They took a picture of each need and asked members to choose … [Read more...]
MBC annual meeting offering to benefit new church plant in Reeds Spring
REEDS SPRING – An offering collected during the MBC annual meeting netted $4,148.80 to help with the construction of a building for a new church plant in Reeds Spring. The First Baptist Church of Kimberling City, seven miles down the road, is sponsoring the new church along with assistance from Tri-County Baptist Association. The MBC Executive Board report included the proposal for the offering on Tuesday morning of the convention meeting. There was a church named First Baptist of … [Read more...]
Member of Tuskegee Airmen honored at Holts Summit church
HOLTS SUMMIT – The Cedar Grove Baptist Church here celebrated Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, with not only one, but two, World War II veterans in attendance. They welcomed, as a special guest, Tipton native James Shipley, who served as a mechanic with the famous Tuskegee Airmen during the war. The Tuskegee Airmen were the nation’s first African American military pilots and their crew, forming the United States Air Force’s 332nd Fighter Group and the 447th Bombardment Group. Shipley joined … [Read more...]
‘The Badge and the Bond of Marriage’ – Springhill Baptist Church invests in marriages of local law enforcement officers
SPRINGFIELD – Twenty-five officers from six Springfield-area law enforcement agencies had a chance to invest in their marriages, Oct. 11, when Springhill Baptist Church here hosted a one-evening marriage retreat called “The Badge and the Bond of Marriage.” “Ultimately, our goal was for them to know that they are not alone and that there are churches in our community that love them and are praying for them,” Pastor Jared Proctor told The Pathway. “We just want them to know that someone is … [Read more...]
Church plant setting down deep roots eight years after tornado destroys Joplin
JOPLIN – Missouri Baptist pastor Rodney Rambo was a church planting intern eight years ago when an EF-5 tornado destroyed a huge swath of the Southwest Missouri city. “We hunkered down in an apartment building,” he said. “Then we spent the night digging and looking for church members.” He then spent about two years working in disaster relief ministry in the city. Rambo attended a FEMA meeting as the city began the process of recovering. A FEMA worker said, “Ten years from now one out … [Read more...]
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