OSAGE BEACH – Messengers will have a chance to take part in a special free-will offering on Tuesday morning at the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Annual Meeting. The offering will support three Missouri Baptist ministries that encourage ministry to families, strengthen our churches and help those in need. “It’s not for our benefit,” said MBC president and pastor of First Baptist, Paris, Wesley Hammond. “All three of these initiatives help someone else.” The funds received are to be … [Read more...]
Women rebuild, touch Filipino hearts
GIBITNGIL, The Philippines – When Barbara Studt bends down and hugs each child at the small school on Gibitngil island – and not one child escapes her – she whispers in each ear, “Jesus loves you.” They grin, wiggle free and run away. Studt stands up, grins and makes her way to the teacher’s office to change from her water shoes to her work boots. She’s here to help rebuild the school destroyed in November 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Typhoon Yolanda. The children are … [Read more...]
Our obedience … His abundance
Empty nesters answering God’s call to care for orphans. A church reaching out to 6,000 Filipino immigrants living in Missouri. A once-withering church now hosting a vibrant congregation. A ministry devoted to loving the poor at nine different low-income housing sites. An international student ministry reaching 90,000 foreign-born college students in Missouri. A Missouri pastor taking part in his first international mission trip. What do these ministry stories have in … [Read more...]
Heavy hauler to Disaster Relief heavyweight
TRIMBLE – Ten years ago, Mike Beasley never could have imagined the ministry God had in store for this car-hauling truck driver. After retiring in 2006, the member of Trimble Baptist Church decided to be productive with his time and volunteer with Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) after an ice storm in Springfield. But he was turned away because he wasn’t trained. “I came home and talked with my wife and said we needed to get trained,” he said. “We didn’t plan on getting in too … [Read more...]
BREAKING: Bill to overturn Hobby Lobby decision on abortifacients stalls in Senate
Ben Johnson/LifeNews WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bill introduced by Senate Democrats to erode the religious liberty of Americans who object to abortion-inducing drugs or contraception has stalled. The Democrat-controlled body voted 56-43 to pass the bill, which would require business owners to offer contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs to their employees with no co-pay, regardless of their religious views. However, the measure needed 60 votes to proceed, due to Senate … [Read more...]
College students join DR ranks
JEFFERSON CITY – Some younger faces are going to be showing up if disaster hits Missouri this summer. Six students are part of a new Disaster Relief (DR) pilot project between the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and three state conventions, including the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC). “The idea is three-fold,” said Joe Banderman, the point man for the Missouri student team. “The first is bringing awareness to the next generation that Disaster Relief is for all.” The second is to … [Read more...]
Divine interruptions
MBC Executive Director John Yeats was part of a six-person team of Missouri Baptist volunteers on Gibitngil last month. He reflects on God’s sovereignty in the midst of uncertainty: “Divine interruptions are the handiwork of God and we have to learn to listen. For example, just prior to this trip, we learned that my wife Sharon will most likely have a surgical procedure when we return. The outcome will be huge and it could have derailed our participation on this mission. “Then we learned … [Read more...]
Missourians minister to typhoon survivors
GIBITNGIL ISLAND, Philippines – To many of the 451 families on the tiny Philippine island of Gibitngil, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Disaster Relief (DR) Specialist Dwain Carter is simply known as “Pastor Dwain.” To Mayor Ricardo Ramirez of nearby Medellin, who oversees Gibitngil, Carter is a welcome sight and a Facebook friend. To those on the island who have watched Carter lead four teams of disaster relief volunteers here since Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the central Philippines last … [Read more...]
Orrick tornado tears parsonage roof, Disaster Relief coordinating recovery
ORRICK – It was far from the largest storm, but an EF-2 tornado damaged nearly every structure in the small town of Orrick east of Kansas City, including tearing the roofs off First Baptist Church’s parsonage May 10. The city has asked Missouri Baptists’ Disaster Relief to coordinate the recovery effort of several agencies as the community moves forward. First Baptist’s pastor, Matt Simpson, saw the tornado headed toward the community that afternoon and retreated to a basement closet with … [Read more...]
Documentary on Joplin Tornadoes
JOPLIN – Where is God in the midst of a storm? Specifically, where was God in the 2011 EF5 tornado that killed 158 people and caused more than a billion dollars in damage in Joplin? What about the 2013 EF5 tornado that killed 24 and inured nearly 400 in Moore, Okla. last year? A new documentary, “Where Was God? Stories of Hope After the Storm,” attempts to answer that question. During an interview with The Pathway, Oklahoma film maker Chris Forbes said the short answer is that He was … [Read more...]
God will crawl with us
Editor’s note: The following was adapted from an email to the editor. It still exudes the raw emotion that so many felt during those disastrous days when tornadoes killed so many in Moore, Okla., and Joplin. Bunny Yekzaman’s feelings are worth sharing to not only catch a glimpse of the important ministries that Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers do, but also as a reminder that God never leaves us or forsakes us. It should be noted that the quote and headline to which she refers was … [Read more...]
Where was God? Official Trailer
JOPLIN – A new documentary will look at the role faith in God played as victims of deadly tornadoes in Joplin and Moore, Okla. pieced their lives back together. The documentary, “Where Was God?” features Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers’ and survivors’ testimonies. Look for more information and an interview with the producers in an upcoming issue of The Pathway. … [Read more...]