JEFFERSON CITY – In early March the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) allocated $120,000 to be distributed to Baptist associations to help with benevolent and ministry needs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Associations received varying amounts based on their size. MBC Executive Director John Yeats encouraged directors of missions to use the funds to assist churches with benevolence. DOMs sprung into action and put those funds to work quickly. Directors of missions report that they … [Read more...]
Virtual celebrations – Baptist schools hail graduates online, reschedule in-person commencements
ST. LOUIS – Let no one say the class of 2020 didn’t have a memorable graduation. It may not have featured all the usual pomp and circumstance or the wails of bagpipes, but Baptist schools are finding ways to honor their seniors even though chapels and arena remain empty. Missouri Baptist University For example, Missouri Baptist University normally holds its commencement at the Family Arena in St. Charles. The in-person celebration has been pushed back to Nov. 13, but the school hosted a … [Read more...]
Churches serve North St. Louis County
ST. LOUIS – In times of crisis, hope is a rare commodity. While much of the country is struggling in fear and uncertainty, local churches are coming together meeting the needs of their communities. This effort was recently seen on a bright, sunny day in one of the state’s hardest-hit areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic, North St. Louis County. On May 1, two Missouri Baptist Churches – First Baptist Church of St. John and Garden Baptist Church – partnered with the St. Louis Area Foodbank to … [Read more...]
‘They thought I was going to die’ – Teenage stroke leads Greminger to study nursing at MBU
ST. LOUIS – It was just another headache. Or so she thought. This head pain would eventually lead her to the neuroscience floor of St. Louis Children’s Hospital. First as a patient, and, beginning this June, as a nurse. For Samantha Greminger, head pain from migraines was a common occurrence. But one morning during her sophomore year of high school, she had a headache that was a little different. “It felt like an ice pick was stabbing my head,” she recalled. She tried to treat her … [Read more...]
BSU reaches out to international students amid pandemic lockdown
TRENTON – Not all is doom and gloom with quarantined life during COVID-19. For Campus Missionary Christina Boatright at North Central Missouri College (NCMC), the pandemic has opened doors she never saw coming. When the coronavirus hit and classes moved online, “it was a big adjustment,” Boatright says. Students living on campus had a one-day warning to move out of the dorms at staggered times. Despite having her broken hand in a splint, Boatright helped four students move out, none of … [Read more...]
Adrian selected to serve as interim campus pastor at The Baptist Home-Ozark
OZARK – The Baptist Home Corporate Office is pleased to announce that Rev. Ron Adrian has agreed to serve as the interim campus pastor at The Baptist Home-Ozark. Pastor Adrian is a familiar face on the Ozark campus having been a regular volunteer at The Baptist Home for some time. He and his wife, Barbara, currently reside in Clever, Missouri, where they moved after years of ministry in Arkansas, Delaware and Texas. Although he considers himself semi-retired, Pastor Adrian is also currently … [Read more...]
Jackson County churches call for equal treatment in COVID-19 ‘re-opening’ plan
KANSAS CITY – Missouri Baptist churches in the Kansas City area are challenging a Jackson County “re-opening” plan that discriminates against churches in the county. In a federal civil rights lawsuit, filed May 7, one of these churches asked a federal judge in Kansas City to declare parts of the Jackson County government’s “re-opening” plan as unconstitutional due to its unequal treatment of churches. The lawsuit was filed after a letter to county officials did not result in a change of … [Read more...]
Associations face tough decisions about camps, seek alternatives
CHILLICOTHE – Like many other association camp facilities across Missouri, the Grand Oaks Baptist Assembly is concerned about their summer camp schedule. The Grand Oaks board voted to postpone the opening of the facility until two weeks after state and local authorities lift social distancing restrictions. Depending on when the restrictions are lifted, that may impact some of the camps in the early part of the summer season. Others are concerned that camps may not be able to be held at … [Read more...]
Youth ministers see challenges, blessings in student ministry during pandemic
KIMBERLING CITY – With spring church youth activities cancelled and most summer plans on hold because of quarantine and social distancing restrictions brought on by COVID-19, youth ministers are adapting to new methods of ministry. They say the changes are bringing blessings and benefits they hope will continue after restrictions lift. Youth pastors are using new ways to preserve student relationships that are challenged when students who thrive with face-to-face contact can’t meet. The … [Read more...]
FBC Huntsville hosts online revival services
HUNTSVILLE – There’s something fitting about having an old-fashioned revival service married with the modern technology of living streaming. That’s what happened when First Baptist Church here hosted an online revival service six nights in a row in April on Facebook Live. Pastor John Rhodes never felt a clear direction from God about any one single preacher to invite, so he invited six preachers his congregation was familiar with to deliver the Word virtually, each from his own … [Read more...]
MBC building to open, May 4
JEFFERSON CITY – The Baptist Building will open to Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) state missionaries, May 4, as soon as statewide stay-at-home orders are lifted. The building, however, will remain closed for the time being to the public, and MBC staff members with weakened immune systems have been encouraged to return a week later. During the past month, the Baptist Building has been operational, according to MBC spokesperson Rob Phillips, director of ministry support. “We especially … [Read more...]
Being the Church: Missouri Baptists bless neighbors with groceries, gift cards, pizza
SCOTT CITY – As unemployment jumps and economic uncertainty rises, so does the anxiety of not knowing from where a family’s next meal might come. Countless Missouri Baptist Churches are making sure they take care of their communities during this time of increased need. Statewide Ministry In Raytown, Connection Point Church is giving out groceries and toilet paper to 80-100 families a week. First Baptist Church, Crane, partnered with their community to gather food, then they bagged them … [Read more...]