The prayer team walked quietly through an affluent Paris shopping district. They prayed for workers in the high-end shops advertising joy through retail therapy. The team kept walking past the famous French cafés and into an upscale neighborhood. Keny Felix felt a heaviness as he prayed for families in the homes they passed.

We are all looking forward to joining other Georgia Baptists as we celebrate 201 years as the Georgia Baptist Convention. This year’s theme will be: “Calling Out, The Called,” and our Convention will be held at Church on Main, Snellville, Ga., on Sunday, Nov. 12 through Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Over the course of three days, we will hear from five featured speakers and worship with churches across the state.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. This month, many churches will take time to show their appreciation to their pastor for his love and ministry over the past year. Some churches will take up a love offering for their pastor. Many will put a basket in the vestibule for members to place cards with kind sentiments they want to share with their pastor. A few churches may even have a dinner or a reception — a nice time to get together to express their feelings for their pastor.

SNELLVILLE, Ga. — Messengers to the Georgia Baptist Convention’s annual meeting will consider updates to their 200-year-old governing documents when they gather in Snellville in mid-November. “A part of this goes back to the fact that some of our core documents really were 200 years old,” said Tim Oliver, chairman of the Georgia Baptist Administration Committee.

SUWANEE, Ga. — One of Mark Marshall’s greatest keepsakes is a notebook filled with letters from church members expressing their love and appreciation for him and his wife. “It was given to me 26 years ago, and I still have it,” said Marshall, a longtime Southern Baptist pastor now serving as assistant executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

DALLAS — To mark the start of Pastor Appreciation Month, GuideStone announced  this week the launch of its free, online Ministerial Resources Center, which provides assistance to ministers and church decision makers on how to enhance their financial security and resilience. This new resource center includes seven educational videos, providing guidance on navigating the unique IRS guidelines and benefits applicable to ministers, along with best practices for pastoral salaries, Social Security and insurance. 

Sarah York’s voice runs through my head several times a day.  Not in a creepy way, but in an inspirational, motivational way.  “Use all of your resources,” she keeps telling me. Sarah, also a pastor’s wife, is a treasured friend and was knitted to my heart when we met.  Though we’ve only known each other a few years, she’s one of those people you feel like you’ve known forever. 

Have you ever been through something so very painful? Maybe it was a death, divorce, sickness, or just heartache from a situation. I am pretty sure that all of us at some point in our life can say we have been there. It’s always hard when you see your family hurting, but one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with was realizing our youngest daughter who is special needs required more help than we were able to give her.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Midwestern Seminary recently received certification as a “Best Christian Workplace” amongst Christian organizations in the United States. During the summer of 2023, seminary employees completed anonymous employee engagement surveys, resulting in the recognition of a vibrant and healthy culture. This recognition is one of the first certifications amongst Southern Baptist entities.

NEW ORLEANS — Serve Day at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary yielded two professions of faith and numerous gospel conversations as more than 200 faculty, staff and student participants shared the gospel and served across the city in late September.  

In the century since Southern Baptists began working together to establish ministries on college campuses, countless students have come to Christ, entered full-time Christian service, and prepared to live out the gospel in the workplace.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — Brewton-Parker College has received news that it is one of this year’s Strengthening Institutions Program grant recipients from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant totals over $2.2 million awarded over the next five years and will provide the funding needed for the college to begin what it calls its Enrichment, Persistence, and Innovation in Collegiate Community Initiative.

Dr. Chad Owen Brand, professor, pastor, and author died Monday in Monterey, Tennessee. He was 69 years old. Brand was a professor of Christian studies at North Greenville College, a professor of Christian Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and held the title of Associate Dean at Boyce College in Louisville.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — While evolving technology propels the world to new and digital frontiers, Southern Seminary confronted the unique questions of missions in a technological age last month at Future Shock, the 2023 Missions Conference hosted by the Bevin Center for Missions and Mobilization. The event brought together experts on missions and technology to tackle the pressing challenges of modern digital tools and platforms reshaping the global missions' landscape.

As Jesus informed His disciples about His approaching death, He taught the disciples the implications His crucifixion and resurrection would have for His first-century followers as well as His 21st-century followers. Jesus taught His disciples that as His destiny involved a cross, so following Jesus requires a cross for all believers.

The United States has a bloody history and has had more than its share of wars. Jesus revealed in the Scriptures that wars and rumors of wars will be commonplace until the final reward of heaven is realized. Each day, Christians are in a battle of a spiritual nature. These battles are difficult and exhausting. However, these battles are not permanent and are winnable because of God.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – A child-sized ring, measuring only about 1 centimeter in diameter, tells the story of a distant past, but also the future of a university program. The gold circular object inlaid with a turquoise stone is one of several items discovered during an initial groundbreaking excavation project in the northern Judean Desert – more specifically, the ruins of Herod the Great’s desert fortress, Hyrcania. 

DENVER – North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell announced Monday evening that in 2023 Southern Baptists gave an all-time record $70.2 million to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions. Ezell shared the news during the annual fall meeting of NAMB’s board of trustees in Denver.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – Pastors’ wives often face a unique kind of vulnerability. Many of them feel like they are living in a fishbowl or vainly trying to live up to unrealistic expectations. It has been said that being a pastor’s wife can feel like being a solo traveler on a long trip in a foreign country.

SUWANEE, Ga. — A faith-based organization that handles retirement accounts and investments for Southern Baptists is warning its clients to be on the lookout for scammers requesting payments via wire transfers or by sending money via Zelle.

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. – Sometimes churches struggle in their valiant effort to survive. When a church membership ages and there are few or no young couples with children or teenagers, it becomes difficult to attract other young couples. If a church no longer has a critical mass or enough people in attendance in their worship services those who visit the church may not return be inspired or inclined to return.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — After meeting with church music leaders for multiple listening sessions, Lifeway Christian Resources announced the decision to continue operating lifewayworship.com for another year. “Lifeway exists as a ministry partner for the local church. We are committed to churches and their leaders to support the ways God is using them,” said Ben Mandrell, Lifeway president and CEO. 

DALLAS — GuideStone Financial Resources Chief Investment Officer David Spika has announced his intention to retire at the end of the year. Brandon Pizzurro, who has worked at GuideStone since 2017 and is most recently director of public investments, will succeed Spika.

RICHMOND, Va. — International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 72 full-time, fully funded missionaries during their meeting Wednesday and Thursday near Richmond, Virginia. The missionaries participated in a Sending Celebration Wednesday evening, hosted by Swift Creek Baptist Church in Midlothian, Virginia.

ELLIJAY — Sunday, September 17, 2023 marked the 25th anniversary that Scott and Paige Eaton have lovingly and sacrificially served First Baptist Church Ellijay. Scott’s ministry has gone beyond his initial hire and responsibility of music.