BUTLER, Ill.—Love Packages is a small ministry here in a town of 200 people, but a Missouri Woman’s Missionary Union (MWMU) group helps them reach the world for Jesus. Fifteen MWMU members and guests of the Mt. Salem/Wyaconda Southern Baptist Association made their sixth trip to Butler March 19 to sort and repack Bibles, Sunday School material, and Christian literature for spiritually needy people. Love Packages (LP), a non-denominational para-church ministry, began in 1975. Director Steve … [Read more...]
Builders help with fellowship hall
EWING – More than a dozen Missouri Baptist Builders from the Macon and Fulton areas framed a needed fellowship hall for Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in rural northeast Missouri in early April. The Fulton team arrived April 1, finding a concrete slab north of the sanctuary building poured in November 2012. The Macon group arrived April 2. They left April 5, with the 1,500 square foot addition framed, minus roof, windows and doors. Phyllis Rogers, wife of church pastor Jesse Rogers, said the … [Read more...]
Groups find Bible storying is ‘Truth that Sticks’
KAHOKA — The way Jesus taught small groups – stories – is the focus in “Truth that Sticks” training sessions. Since January, Mark Snowden, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) missional evangelism/discipleship strategist, has held twice monthly in-state conferences. He came here to First Baptist Church in the northeast corner of Missouri on March 16. “The Bible is 75 percent stories,” Snowden said. “There are up to 700 Bible stories.” The training is based on a book by the same name he … [Read more...]
Hannibal church retools to help spiritual growth
HANNIBAL – After growth that led to two building additions, attendance tapered off here at Calvary Baptist Church. “I’ve been Southern Baptist all my life,” said Jeff Anderson, Calvary pastor. “I think we too quickly measure success by buildings, budgets and baptisms. When you measure by the number of people dunked, you have the reality of false conversions.” Attendance hovered at the 400 mark in 2004 and 2005, and fell to under 300 by 2010. Attendance now is 325-350. As attendance … [Read more...]
Church reaches youth through sports programs
SPRINGFIELD – Jeffrey Chavez admits his church plant, The Catalyst in Springfield, is not a traditional church. “Many churches start with congregations and develop ministries. We started with church ministries. It was sort of an upside-down funnel approach,” he said. “Ninety percent of our people are unchurched.” In September 2011, the church plant met in Chavez’ home, then moved to an athletic studio. It offers wrestling, track, mixed martial arts, karate, and jujitsu for youth, … [Read more...]
New book uses family crisis to bring hope to others
LAGRANGE — A former LaGrange First Baptist Church pastor and wife have turned a family ordeal into a message of hope. Jim and Deanna Reynolds have authored Our Victorious Heart, a Journal of Grace, which recounts the difficult path through the short life of their daughter Nicole Grace. Nicole was born June 10, 2004, with Mosaic Trisomy 18, a condition where most of her cells had three sets of the 18th chromosome, instead of the normal two. This led to heart defects, brain anomalies, and … [Read more...]