OWENSVILLE – After a schedule trial and error method, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church outside of Owensville discovered a winning and unusual time for Vacation Bible School. “We started VBS on Wednesday night,” Dennis Spurgeon, pastor, said, “then, Thursday and Friday nights. On Saturday morning, we met 9-11:30 with our last session on Sunday morning.” “This schedule just clicked for us,” Donna Spurgeon, VBS director and pastor’s wife, said. “We are a small country church 13 miles south of … [Read more...]
Member of non-MBC church named to SBC nominating committee
BIRMINGHAM (BP) – Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention have elected the 68-member Committee on Nominations for 2019-2020 to represent the 34 states or territories qualified for representation on the committee according to SBC Bylaw 30. The committee, with at least one layperson from each qualified state or territory, was elected during the June 11-12 SBC annual meeting in Birmingham. The committee will make nominations to messengers at the June 2020 SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando, … [Read more...]
Journey Baptist Church doubles down on preaching Jesus on St. Joe’s south side
ST. JOSEPH – As the neighborhoods on the south side of St. Joseph change and evolve, Journey Baptist Church is changing and evolving right alongside it – by keeping things the same: the gospel. “We do things like highway clean up and host Girl Scouts as a way to remind the community that we’re here, we care, we love them and are concerned about their physical needs,” said pastor Jacob McMillian. “That might get people into the church, but they’re going to stay because of the Gospel of … [Read more...]
Mission in Mexico: Canaan Baptist trains leaders to ‘be the Church’
ATECINGO, Mexico — The lack of true discipleship at Primera Iglesia Bautista had been heavy on Pastor Alejandro’s heart for a while. “He told us they were a congregation that has tried one event after another, hoping something would happen,” said Mike Self, pastor of discipleship and church administration at Canaan Baptist Church in St. Louis. “By the end of the third day of the conference, Pastor Alejandro explained to his members that he saw this as a holistic approach to how the church … [Read more...]
Revitalization effort brings hope to Neosho church
NEOSHO – The people at New Salem Baptist Church were upset at the news and, quite frankly, Pastor Philip Martin was surprised they didn’t fire him right then and there. “I said, ‘Look guys the hard truth is that financially we are not doing well and the numbers have been stagnate for a while,’” said Martin, who has served at New Salem for nine years. “I told them if we continued to go on like we have been we would not make it more than five or six years.” The congregation, which consisted … [Read more...]
Missouri’s Easter Offering goal set at $2 million
JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Baptist Convention has set a goal of $2 million for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions. The national offering goal is $70 million. The theme for this year’s offering is “Sending Hope.” Prayers and gifts from Missouri Baptist churches to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering provide support for more than 5,000 missionaries through the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Every dollar given goes to train and … [Read more...]
Ministry of reconciliation: Bi-vo pastor leads ministry to bring healing to churches in conflict
KNOB NOSTER – Conflict, opposition and struggle is not the picture the church wants to present to the community, however, many of today’s churches are doing just that. David Noble, bivocational pastor of Heartland Church here, has a ministry to serve churches working through conflict. “Church conflict is inevitable at one level or another,” Noble said. “It is important for churches to prepare for it with a shared biblical perspective.” Dealing with conflict is important for the … [Read more...]
Martin City congregation reaches community
MARTIN CITY – Off the main strip, and down the road in Martin City, one finds Three Trails Community. But don’t call it a church—not a church. It’s a congregation. Three Trails, which currently meets in the Martin City Baptist building, purposely left off the word “church” to identify with the people they reach— namely, Martin City. “Three Trails Community. No church,” says lead pastor Blake Fortner. “Everyone wants to add church,” Fortner adds with a head-bobbing laugh. Fortner has been … [Read more...]
Return to the basics builds up congregation
WAYNESVILLE – Some might say a new pastor has helped First Baptist make positive change. Steve Clark – the pastor – credits returning to the basics of evangelism and outreach. “I had been in Africa as a mission pastor. I pastored for seven years at Claycomo Baptist, and at Lockwood for eight years. This enabled me to have a broad view of the denomination. I’ve been Southern Baptist all my life and part of the Conservative Resurgence in Kansas City. I was well informed of what works and … [Read more...]
Karis shouts God’s grace, regardless of location – Congregations merge, swap buildings to advance Kingdom
COLUMBIA – The old cliché that a church is not a building holds true for Karis Church, a 13-year-old congregation here in the heart of Missouri. It’s a good thing, too. If that were the case, Karis would be suffering an extreme identity crisis. Instead, the church is celebrating its “new” permanent home in central Columbia – its sixth home in its short life as it continues to live out its mission to reach the community with the Gospel. Karis launched Easter 2006 in the Tiger Hotel … [Read more...]
From atheist to MBC’s first black officer: Jon Nelson a testimony to God’s grace
JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Baptist Convention’s first African American officer, Jon Nelson, is not only a husband, father and church planter, but he is also a testimony to the grace of God that hunts us down and refuses to let us go. Only this grace can take an adversary, such as Nelson, and bring him into the service of the One he hated so much. Growing up in his parents’ inner-city church in Kansas City, Nelson admits he often intellectually wrestled with Christians there. “When I … [Read more...]
‘The difference is Christ’ – Drug addicts find gospel freedom through Harvest Outreach
HANNIBAL – The change Jesus made in ex-convict Tina Hall after her release from opioid incarceration on Aug. 9, 2016, is the difference between worldly night and heavenly day. “Addiction caused liver problems,” Hall said. “Nothing changed me or made me want other choices. I just wanted to get out. This time leaving prison, I had nowhere to go. My mom passed away when I was in prison.” That’s when Harvest Outreach stepped in. Harvest Outreach is a ministry of Living Way Christian … [Read more...]
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