ALPHARETTA, Georgia (BP) – During a time when change seems to be constant for Southern Baptists, associational mission strategists from across the United States met to learn more about how to lead through it.  

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. (LBM) – Less than a week after Hurricane Helene devasted parts of the US, a Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief feeding team is on the ground to “give a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name” to those affected by the powerful storm.

Tony Wolfe, executive director-treasurer for the South Carolina Baptist Convention, said as he drives around his state, he sees months and months of work to do in the wake of Hurricane Helene. “This may be the biggest disaster at least in terms of wind damage that our state has ever known,” said Wolfe.

CUMMING, Ga. — The United States has a long history of immigration. It is a country built on the backs of immigrants. The Statue of Liberty standing in the New York City harbor bears a quote from Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, “New Colossus,” that says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

We can’t trust Dixie out of our sight. (Dixie is the eight-month-old puppy my beloved rescued a month ago.) The first week she was with us, Dixie got out of her crate twice while we were gone and set off the security alarm.

SUWANEE, Ga. — The Georgia Baptist Mission Board's Financial Services Committee announced a special allocation of $500,000 dollars on Tuesday, Oct. 1, specifically to support Mission Georgia's efforts to provide direct assistance to Georgia Baptist churches, impacted ministerial staff, and community support. In addition, the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation approved a matching grant of $500,000.

SCBaptist Disaster Relief volunteers are currently providing shower units, laundry units, feeding units, chainsaw units, incident management, chaplains, and damage assessors at locations across South Carolina that were affected by Hurricane Helene.

MADISON, Fla. — In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the Madison community in north Florida has found itself in yet another season of recovery.

PLYMOUTH, Mich. (BP) — The search team tasked with finding the next executive director-treasure of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) has announced it has selected Ed Emmerling to fill the role being vacated by Tim Patterson. Patterson, who came on board in 2015, announced his retirement late last year.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — In celebration of National Cyber-Security Month this October, Truett McConnell University's Hans Hut School of Business is proud to highlight its newly launched Cyber Security concentration, which began this Fall 2024. The program equips students with the technical experience and ethical foundation necessary to navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape.

I don't know about you, but I cannot get the storm from last week off my mind. It seems everywhere I look and turn I  see the devastation and heart-breaking situations that people all around us are dealing with. I can only imagine how overwhelmed people are feeling.

LIVERPOOL, N.Y. – A tinge of nostalgia permeated the 2024 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of New York, a Northeast Network of churches. It was Executive Director Terry Robertson’s last annual meeting. He plans to retire next April. He will be celebrating 54 years in ministry – 45 in New York State – and 20 years at the helm of the New York state convention, which spills over into five states.

VALDEZ, Alaska – Randy Covington announced at the recent annual meeting of the Alaska Baptist Resource Network that he plans to retire as executive director at the 2025 annual meeting. 

EUBANK, Ky. (KT) – Two years ago, when Clay Herd was pastor of Licking River Baptist Church in Salyersville, flooding practically paralyzed the community.  Then, an angel on wheels from a church in Hendersonville, N.C., rolled up to the church loaded with water and other desperately needed supplies. Herd did not even know the pastor at the time, he said. 

The International Mission Board and Woman’s Missionary Union invite all Southern Baptists to participate in the 2024 Week of Prayer and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®. Resources are now available at lottiemoon.com.  

There are many reasons Christians do not take advantage of opportunities to share the gospel. Perhaps one reason we fail to witness is because we do not have relationships with unbelievers; we live life in a Christian “cocoon.” Believers should pray that God will give us open doors to share the gospel.

Have you ever encountered someone whose presence casts a shadow over the room? Their negative energy can bring down even the most cheerful atmosphere. These individuals, often unhappy themselves, have a knack for spreading their discontent to those around them. Do you bring joy or tension into your relationships and surroundings?

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — As counties in western North Carolina and surrounding areas continue to grapple with unprecedented devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, N.C. Baptist disaster response volunteers are partnering with churches to assist local residents with the long journey of recovery.

NEWPORT, Tenn.  — Eastern Tennessee experienced significant and widespread damage Friday afternoon due to torrential rains and high winds from Hurricane Helene. Helene made landfall in the Florida Panhandle late Thursday and forcefully progressed through Eastern Georgia into Tennessee along the Appalachian Mountains, causing severe flooding and wind damage in numerous East Tennessee counties.

SUWANEE, Ga. — The Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s response to the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene is comprehensive, according to chief operating officer David Melber. “We want to make sure we do not miss any church that needs our help,” he told staff in a call on Monday.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — More than 100 people have died from the havoc wrought by Hurricane Helene, and Send Relief is supporting dozens of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief sites deployed throughout the Southeast in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The remnants of Hurricane Helene continued to devastate communities and claim lives in the Southeast over the weekend. The storm has left a reported 800-mile path of destruction that has impacted numerous states — among them Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The death toll had climbed to more than 90 people on Monday, Sept. 30, according to the latest reports.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — On Monday, Sept. 19, Brewton-Parker College was privileged to host a policy stop on the Georgia Recovers Bus Tour. This event featured a diverse panel of community members discussing current addiction and recovery policies, focusing on agricultural communities.

SUWANEE, Ga. — Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief coordinator Dwain Carter said Saturday that the response in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s rampage through Georgia would be an “all hands on deck effort.” Carter said a huge area of the state has been affected by the storm, with effects ranging from wind damage to flooding, and loss of power and communications.

McDONOUGH, Ga. — More than1,000 chicken sandwich lunches, 2,300 bottles of water, 350 pizzas, 800 juice pouches, 250 pounds of mandarins, and gallons and gallons of coffee. That’s just some of what it took to feed the more than 1000 students, program staff, and volunteers that converged on Eagle’s Landing Baptist Church in McDonough last weekend, Sept. 20-22, for Confluence, the Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministries conference.