ARNOLD – Jim Nicolls thought he’d just been broken for the people of northern Mexico. Surely, that’s why he wept through the night during his first mission trip in 2000, when he led a construction crew in building houses at a squatter’s camp along the U.S.-Mexico border. “That first night, I just laid there all night, weeping,” he recalled. “God broke me. I kept saying, ‘Why, God, am I here, and they’re there?’” More than the spiritual lostness, it was the “abject poverty” that existed … [Read more...]
‘Heart of Hope’ – Former addicts transformed by gospel
HOLLISTER – This place was once full of darkness. Within the walls of the Hollister apartment building people not only used drugs for the first time, but they used drugs for the last time. Death seemed to have a grip on this place. But as the previous landlord continued giving his tour, Rita Nogal heard God whisper to her spirit, “What the devil made for darkness, I made for light.” She had heard God speak those words before, but that time it wasn’t about redeeming a building; it was … [Read more...]
More than 35 FBC Troy widows rev up the Harleys
TROY – A cloud of leather, exhaust and exhilaration descended upon First Baptist Church in Troy on August 18 for their 3rd annual Widows Ride. It’s an annual tradition that brings fun and joy to women who have been widowed, as well as all of the people who put on the event. The Widows Ride – also known as the Biker Babes Ride – is an outreach event for widowed women in Lincoln County coordinated by First Baptist Church in Troy. There were about 90 participants this year, including more … [Read more...]
Fenton church makes gospel connections
FENTON – One church plant’s musical method for building relationships has struck a note for residents of this St. Louis suburb. Connect Church, a Missouri Baptist affiliated church plant here that launched on Easter 2015, is making connections in Fenton by hosting a Guitar Club for area children. During Guitar Club, Connect Church’s founding pastor Chris Perstrope – also one of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s newest multiplying churches missionaries – helps children learn the basics not … [Read more...]
Juggling time, responsibility as a bivocational pastor
ALTON – It’s hard to catch time to interview Pastor Joby Steele. He is a high school principal and a bivocational pastor in the southern Missouri community of Alton. He says the Google Calendar app makes it possible for him to stay on track and his wife, Brenda, can check in on his schedule as well. They are a busy family with ball games, family vacations and a lot of school and church activities each week. A typical week in September looked like this: • Alton High School during the … [Read more...]
Branstetter devotes life to sharing God’s light with boys, girls
JEFFERSON CITY – The stage is dark. Rick Branstetter appears before the audience, garbed all in black, sporting a tall black hat with a large red band and a black cape with red lining. He holds a large book with two words emblazoned in brilliant gold letters on its front cover: “Holy Bible.” “In the beginning, it was dark,” he says. “The Bible tells us it was dark. God looked around, and God said, ‘Let there be light!’” Branstetter shouts these last words. Stunned, his audience snaps … [Read more...]
FBC Joplin hosts confab for small churches
JOPLIN – Much like the young shepherd David, some churches might appear small in the eyes of man, but they often have the most heart in the eyes of God. “People who attend smaller, or normative-sized, churches are looking for authenticity,” said Jamie Tickel, pastor at First Baptist Church (FBC) here. “They want to belong, they don’t want to slip in and be anonymous. When they make the decision to go to a smaller church, these are people looking for a relationship.” Tickel was one of … [Read more...]
Hurricane Michael: MBC Disaster Relief deploys to Florida
BRISTOL, Fla. – Teams of Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers returning home from giving help, hope and healing in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence barely had time to blink before the call came out again. This time, it was Hurricane Michael, which smashed Florida’s Panhandle Oct. 10. The storm took a direct shot to the Florida Panhandle near Mexico Beach and it was the third strongest in recorded United States history, the strongest to hit the Continental U.S. in 14 years and … [Read more...]
‘Joni and Friends’ equips churches to serve people affected by disabilities
ST. LOUIS – The church is meant to be a place where all Christians can come to worship and fellowship with one another. But what if churches are unintentionally excluding a group of people who need God’s love just as much or more than the rest of the world? Joni and Friends, an international nonprofit organization, works with churches to reach that invaluable group – individuals with disabilities and their families. According to Judy Redlich, Church Engagement Manager with Joni and … [Read more...]
FBC Kimberling City ensures every child has warm, comfortable place to sleep
KIMBERLING CITY – Falling asleep in church is one thing, but it’s another entirely for a church to step up and make sure children in the community get a good night’s sleep. First Baptist Church here is doing just that with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a program that provides bunk beds and linens to children aged 2 to 17 in the Branson area who otherwise would be sleeping on the floor. First Baptist’s chapter of the national organization hosts build days where different groups from the … [Read more...]
Major League’s umpire Marvin Hudson: ‘You never know who’s watching’
ST. LOUIS – Marvin Hudson’s goal is to never be the highlight of a game. But sharing his testimony at South County Baptist Church here before taking his place behind the plate at the Sept. 16 Cardinals-Dodgers game, Hudson, a Major League Baseball umpire, said he knows what it’s like to stand out for exactly the wrong reason. A former college catcher, Hudson worked his way up through the minor leagues as an umpire. Eventually, he was promoted to call games during Spring Training and in … [Read more...]
MBC Disaster Relief volunteers respond to Hurricane Florence
WALLACE, N.C. – It hasn’t necessarily dominated the national headlines, but the scope of Hurricane Florence’s impact on the east coast – North Carolina, in particular – has been massive. It may have been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, but the U.S. Geological Survey says the storm still dumped more than 18 trillion – yes, trillion with a T – gallons of water. Fortunately, the flooding rivers and creeks were also met with a flood of aid, including dozens of Missouri Baptist Disaster … [Read more...]
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