GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Vandals have defaced a church’s sign that declares: “We stand with Israel.” North Hall Church Pastor Bucky Kennedy is using the incident to proclaim the gospel. “We see it as an opportunity to share the hope, the love and the promise that is in Jesus Christ, the Messiah,” he said on an Instagram video.

Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber released a lengthy statement Monday morning explaining how he gave the final go-ahead for the Executive Committee to sign on to the hotly contested court submission related to a sexual abuse case being appealed in Kentucky.

One of the more challenging aspects of visiting an area or city you have never been to is navigating unfamiliar streets or traffic. With the innovation of smartphones and GPS systems in our vehicles, directions to our desired destinations have become more readily available. However, even with the advantages of technology, GPS can sometimes be mistaken and fail to take into consideration existing road construction or other challenges.

Jesus promised to return for His followers. Regarding Jesus’ return, believers often emphasize the wrong thing. Rather than attempting to predict when Jesus will return, the challenge of the New Testament is that since Jesus is coming back, this is how you should live. The promise of the return of Jesus is a call to holiness and service rather than a call to attempt to predict when it will happen.

ATLANTA, Ga. — The Baptist Campus Ministry under the direction of Eric Swenson is thriving at Georgia Tech. Swenson is giving particular attention to international students because he knows if they become followers of Jesus they will return to their homeland as ambassadors of Christ. Georgia Tech has a total enrollment of 26,878 students with nearly forty percent (10,525) international students representing 149 different countries.

JACKSON, Miss. — Gov. Tate Reeves has taken note of evangelist Rick Gage’s latest crusade, which drew standing-room-only crowds in Mississippi last week. Reeves posted a crowd shot from the crusade on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, showing people crowded shoulder to shoulder in an open-air amphitheater.

“They just put a deer head in the back of the car.”  Not a usual text to my kids.  Still, it was true.  I could see antlers sticking out of the bag. My beloved had killed his first deer (an eight-point) and was having it processed.  The body was at the butcher being prepped to share with a family at church.  We were taking the head to the taxidermist.  Hence my text about it being in the back. 

Wayne and I took two of our granddaughters to a church carnival this past weekend. This carnival was on a very grand scale with rides, games, jump houses and many other things. The girls were so excited. One of the things they both wanted to do was go into one of the jump houses. These are the inflatable structures that come in many shapes and sizes. This particular jump house was shaped like a huge rectangle.

For some U.S. adults, many of the terrors connected to Halloween are pure fiction. Others, however, are wary of ghosts, vampires, and visits from dead loved ones. Studies from YouGov and Pew Research found an openness among many Americans to the existence of supernatural beings and events.

Every fall, the community of Columbia County eagerly anticipates a remarkable event hosted by Abilene Baptist Church, known simply as the "Columbia County Fall Thing." This annual celebration has become a beloved tradition, providing a day of fun, fellowship, and faith for thousands of attendees. This year's event, held on Saturday, October 21, marked a significant milestone as it relocated to Evans Towne Center Park and attracted a record-breaking attendance of 5,680 guests.

Recently, while standing on a dock at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Salem, Massachusetts, the thought occurred to me that if Georgia Baptists’ have designated sacred places, this would be one of them. The dock was where Georgia’s and the South’s first foreign missionary, appointed by the Triennial Baptist Board of Missions, sailed for Burma.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Residential masters students admitted into Midwestern Seminary’s For the Church Cohorts will receive a 100% tuition scholarship for the first year of their master’s degree beginning in the fall of 2024. The full-tuition scholarship includes tuition costs for up to 18 credit hours of residential or practicum courses during the academic year. Additionally, those in the Fusion Master’s Cohort will receive an additional $3,000 scholarship to cover a portion of their overseas costs.

Thousands of miles away from his International Mission Board assignment in Colombia, IMB missionary Matthew Fisher found himself standing before a group of African pastors. Burundi is the smallest African country. It’s also one of the world’s poorest countries. Many suffer from AIDs or other illnesses. The needs are great.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Lifeway Christian Resources was named to Newsweek’s Best Online Shops for the fifth year in a row. Lifeway.com ranked No. 2 in the media category (e.g., books, CDs, DVDs, software) on the list announced earlier this month.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Southern Seminary celebrated the rededication of the Boyce Centennial Library during Heritage Week on Oct. 17, 2023. President R. Albert Mohler Jr., who cut the ceremonial ribbon along with Mary K. Mohler, said the library was due for a renovation and a refocus of its purpose.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After six Grammy nominations, Zeke Listenbee has won his first Dove Award. Listenbee won the award with his arranging of the traditional gospel song It is well sung by Tasha Cobb. Listenbee is the worship and arts pastor at New Hope Baptist Church’s Fayetteville campus and Senoia campus in south metro Atlanta, serving alongside Pastor Rhys Stenner for the past 19 months.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Several candidates have risen to the top for the search team seeking to find the next president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. Search team chair Neal Hughes, director of missions for Alabama’s Montgomery Baptist Association, released an update late Monday afternoon, saying a candidate could realistically  be presented for a vote at the full Executive Committee's next meeting scheduled for February.

ROME, Ga. — Pastors and church staff gathered last Thursday to enjoy a day away from the office and compete with their peers at a disc golf tournament. Nearly 30 participants teed off on the course around Shorter University, competing individually and in pairs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary celebrated R. Albert Mohler, Jr.’s 30th anniversary as president last week. During the annual Heritage Week, a week combining visits from trustees, the Foundation Board, and friends of the seminary, Southern Seminary focused on celebrating all the Lord has accomplished through Dr. Mohler at Southern Seminary.

Send Network just concluded the last of five regional gatherings this year across North America meant to encourage and inspire church planting couples and sending church leaders. The 3-day events focused on Send Network’s five core values.

July 4, 2018, began and progressed like any other day for our family until late that night. My oldest daughter and a group of her friends made plans to shoot fireworks in the field behind our home. An hour or so later, one of her friends called and hysterically said my daughter had been hurt, and a trip to the emergency room would be needed.

The temple was the basis of first century Jewish worship and life. Mark has not mentioned the temple up to this point in his narrative. However, in Mark 11, the Gospel writer mentions the temple in Jerusalem four times. Mark’s narrative of Jesus cleansing the temple contains numerous allusions to the Old Testament.

FRANKLIN, Ga. — Have you ever been geocaching? It is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device to find some object or prize and on occasion the secret cache is something of value. One man reported he found a gold ring. Others have found money and gift cards.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Nearly 40 pastors and denominational leaders met on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as online, last Thursday for the inaugural meeting of a newly established Board of Reference. Through their partnership with the seminary, these leaders will represent Southwestern to prospective students and donors while also providing advice on how the seminary can best reach students and set them up for success in ministry, according to board leadership.

One reason for ineffective evangelism is the lack of preparation in extending an invitation. Many pastors admit their weakness in giving invitations and they often state that it is not what they work on when preparing a sermon. C.E. Autrey wrote “that if a pastor fails to invite his listeners to accept Christ, he is departing from the practice of the New Testament Church.”