Denali, also referred to as Mount McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America. Its majestic peak reaches 20,310 feet above sea level. It is in south-central Alaska about 130 miles north-northwest of Anchorage. Many climbers have stated that reaching the peak of Denali is much more technical and difficult than climbing Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — Keys for Mission, a campaign presented by the School of Music, is well under way to pay for the purchase of five new concert pianos. The fundraiser, in honor of Dr. Lombard, began in August 2024, with a goal of raising $30,000.

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. — Enon Baptist Church weathered the storm, even though their building did not.  Less than one week after Hurricane Helene ravaged Enon’s facilities, the church members gathered for their Wednesday night activities as normal, albeit in a different location. They met at a nearby Methodist church, where the pastor had graciously invited the Enon members to hold their services. 

English club in Buenos Aires, Argentina started out simple enough. Participants learned a few phrases, talked about American culture and listened to English vocabulary. As part of the curriculum, Chris and Rhonda Richard, International Mission Board missionaries from Hebron Baptist Church in Kentucky, introduced club members to “Three Circles.”

ONTARIO, Calif. — The inauguration of Adam Groza as the eighth president of Gateway Seminary conveyed a sense of joy and hope for the future for those in attendance.

NEW YORK CITY — North American Mission Board trustees approved the 2024-2025 budget and celebrated missionaries serving as church planters and in compassion ministry throughout the metro New York City area as they gathered for meetings Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 7-8.

SIESTA KEY, Fla. – With more than 3 million people without power following Hurricane Milton’s landfall and subsequent pounding of central Florida, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) is ready to deploy meals as early as Saturday through its partnerships with The Salvation Army and American Red Cross.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers, supported by teams from other states, spread through the affected area. In some cases, they were joined by local college students from Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministries.

“Well, I didn’t have that on my bingo card,” has been Jeff Parmer’s reply when asked about his first week as associational missionary for Ogeechee River Baptist Association. After a lifetime of serving in pastoral positions in churches across Georgia, Parmer’s first day in his new role was Monday, Sept. 23. Three days later, Hurricane Helene roared across the South, leaving a trail of death and destruction that encompassed the counties comprising the ORBA – Bulloch, Bryan, and Candler.

NORTHERN ISRAEL (BP) – Burned, torn, dismembered bodies. Chemical smells. Even the noise. Yasmeen Mazzawi handles it all as a volunteer paramedic with the Israeli emergency medical services organization Magen David Adom.

This year, Georgia Baptists will celebrate the 202nd anniversary of the Georgia Baptist Convention. The theme of the annual meeting will be “Answering the Call.” It will be held at First Baptist Church, Statesboro, on Sunday, Nov. 10 through Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024.

People age 55 and older have an opportunity to participate in the core missionary task with the International Mission Board. The IMB is inviting such Southern Baptist church members to give two years of their next season to the Lord, fully funded, using their gifts and skills for kingdom impact.

FORT WORTH, Texas — A new website launched this month brings together scholarly Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary publications and websites, such as the Southwestern Journal of Theology, Preaching Source, and Artistic Theologian, with other seminary resources previously available on different platforms.

ONTARIO, Calif.  — Trustees approved the creation of the Jeff P. Iorg School of Christian Leadership at Gateway Seminary during the fall board meeting on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 7-8, 2024. Named after former seminary president and current CEO of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, Jeff Iorg, the school represents both the legacy and the future of Gateway Seminary, said President Adam Groza.

The struggle was real on Sunday morning. It was my turn to teach at the jail. We have been going to a prison or jail every week since 2006. It was not a new place or crowd. Teaching is one of my favorite things! Yet butterflies skittered in my stomach. I had read the Bible verses again and again. In truth I was ready, still I was uneasy.

Since its inception in 1981, PrayerLine has been a reliable source for daily prayer requests from the International Mission Board, enabling callers to listen and pray for international missions. Dedicated people like Joey Bosch and David Ratliff have been using this service for years, finding joy and purpose in praying for missions across the world.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A tractor-trailer loaded with generators, temporary roofing, more than 20,000 meals, and equipment to serve meals to first responders and survivors, has staged at Send Relief’s headquarters in Alpharetta.

FRANKLIN , Tenn. — The response by Tennessee Baptists disaster relief volunteers in recent days can best be summed up in one word: Extensive. That word applies to almost every aspect of the ongoing relief efforts — including the amount of time that the projects are going to take, the range of the impacted areas and the variety of assignments that the volunteers are being asked to do. 

This has been a tough week for several reasons. Unexpected change is hard for me. I like to know what to expect and when to expect it. I only wish life worked that way but sadly it doesn’t. I don’t mean any of this to sound trivial, but this has just been life lately.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — How does your church’s groups ministry compare to the average group ministry? Would you like to know if your church’s Bible study groups are healthy?

HUDSON, Fla. — First Baptist Church of Hudson, like many congregations in Florida, is no stranger to the aftermath of natural disasters. The community is still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, which left the church’s food pantry campus under eight feet of water.

Summer may be over, but the impact of Vacation Bible Schools held at Georgia Baptist churches will carry far into the future. Krista Staton, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s kids ministry consultant, reports that this year more than 1,400 children made commitments to Christ at churches large and small across the state.

FAIRVIEW, N.C. (BP) – Cane Creek starts as a trickle up in the mountains from Stacy Harris’ home. Garren Creek and Flat Creek are there too. Typically, they create the small, crystal-clear pools trout love and cascading waterfalls that are favorites of Smoky Mountain tourists.

Since the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel one year ago, Send Relief has been working with Christians and churches in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank to bring hope and help to hurting communities. The generosity of Southern Baptists has provided hot meals and basic food boxes, medical supplies, trauma counseling, and even bomb shelters, impacting more than 22,000 survivors of the war.

As Florida Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers continue to come alongside community residents impacted by Category 4 Hurricane Helene, and with Hurricane Milton now setting its sights on Florida’s west coast, all Florida Baptists are being encouraged to join relief efforts by giving, going and praying.