VILLA RICA, Ga. — Months ago plans were underway for First Baptist Villa Rica’s annual summer student camp. Reservations were made to have the camp at Laguna Beach Christian Retreat in Florida for June 19-23. During the time plans were being made Pastor Kevin Williams and Student Pastor Josh Shrewsbury had a breakfast meeting with the new head football coach at Villa Rica High, Austin Barren.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Bible conferences seem to have a growing impact in churches across the nation. In some ways, these conferences appear to have taken the place of revival meetings, and they often have similar results. They give the Lord the opportunity to do something special in the lives of those who participate. They create the kind of atmosphere for the Lord to appear in an unprecedented way and they often result in souls saved and believers being called to a life of full surrender to Christ.

SUWANEE, Ga. — Crews from Georgia churches are deploying to Vermont to help victims in what has been described as that state’s worst natural disaster in nearly a century. Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief Director Dwain Carter said flood response units are expected to pull out Monday morning enroute to Barre, Vt., one of the hardest hit communities.

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (KT) — Manuel “Miggie” Villalobos traveled to Hopkinsville this summer to play baseball. But he said what he found “truly changed my life.” That change was on display Sunday, July 9, when the college athlete was baptized at Hillcrest Baptist Church — professing his faith in Christ and understanding the significance of that decision.

FORT WORTH, Texas — New academic leadership of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary was named today by President David S. Dockery beginning with the fall semester, including naming W. Madison Grace II to the roles of provost and vice president for academic administration and dean of the School of Theology.

ROCHELLE, Ga. — More than 30 migrant workers who came to southwest Georgia to harvest watermelons will leave with much more than a paycheck. That’s because they prayed to receive Christ at First Baptist Church of Rochelle, where they gathered Thursday for dinner and a gospel presentation by Georgia Baptist Mission Board missions consultant Samuel Ayala.

Imagine arriving on the mission field knowing no one, speaking none of the language and wondering where your house is, with no one to guide you. Then imagine immediately being thrown into cross-cultural ministry, also with minimum guidance. Sounds overwhelming, right?

Pastor Jeffrey “Jeff” Scott Daniels, 54, passed away on Tuesday at his home in Trenton, Ga. He was born in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. on July 6, 1969 to the late Brother Johnny and Regina Andrews Daniels.  He will be remembered as a loving husband, father, Pop Pop, friend, and pastor.

The clanging alerted me that there was a problem.  Some sounds are not ever supposed to come out of the dryer.  I hurried to the laundry room.  Yanking open the dryer door, I began pulling out my beloved’s dress pants and shirts. The load was his good stuff for church.  In the still damp pile, I found a small black lid.  And then something much worse: dark greasy stains on all of the clothes.  “Aww man,” I groaned loudly.

Several weeks ago, our family went on vacation to the beach. We rented a house and in that house we had five adults and seven grandchildren. It’s always quite the adventure when you have that many personalities and age differences in the same house. It is precious time that Wayne and I enjoy greatly and our prayer is that our children and grandchildren will have memories of these times long after we are gone.

SYLVESTER, Ga. — When Ricky Braswell, weakened by chemotherapy and radiation, began having trouble maneuvering the steps into his home, a team of builders from Isabella Baptist Church showed up to construct an access ramp. Problem solved. Braswell’s ramp was only the latest built by the Isabella volunteers who have completed 108 for residents of Worth County over the past decade.

ATLANTA, Ga. — Mary Gellerstedt is a living example of what it means to press forward with steadfastness in Christ. Her heart, her eyes, her mind are riveted on the Savior. It has been this focus that has given her the strength and desire to press forward in untiring service at First Baptist Church Atlanta for almost eight decades.

SUWANEE, GA – Georgia Baptists and Georgia Baptist pastors need to know Chris Reynolds, the new lead strategist for the state Mission Board's pastor wellness team, and they need to understand that he and his colleagues are ready to help when personal or vocational challenges and crises arise.

When the App Store launched for iPhones on July 10, 2008, users could check Facebook, chat on AOL Instant Messenger, and read the Bible. The YouVersion Bible App, created by Life.Church and pastor Bobby Gruenewald, was downloaded more than 83,000 times over the first weekend, surpassing the yearly goal in just three days.

LITHONIA, Ga. — Last month, Luther Rice College and Seminary launched its newest degree program, a Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Scripture. Luther Rice is now accepting applications and will offer classes this Fall semester in the program. The Ph.D. in Christian Scripture degree is the second Ph.D. program, third doctoral program overall, now offered at Luther Rice.

The president of one of the SBC’s largest fellowships has issued a public letter addressing concerns about the Southern Baptist Convention’s recent move to disaffiliate two churches with women in leadership roles.

WOODSTOCK, Ga. — It was during time of crisis that Mark Richt committed his life to Christ. While an assistant coach at Florida State University, one of his players had been tragically killed, and legendary coach Bobby Bowden, the always unapologetic Christian, pulled the entire team together and shared the hope that can be found in Christ. Richt, who went on to lead the University of Georgia football team as head coach, walked into Bowden’s office the next morning and said the words that changed his life: “I need Jesus.”

Lonely. Desperate. Drunk. Anxiety-ridden. It was a life Michaela Knippers knew all too well. Growing up she watched family members travel the exact road she was on. She wanted an escape.  So the young woman turned on the computer and transported herself from an empty Tulsa, Oklahoma, apartment to a techno-colored virtual world. In this video game, she could be anyone or do anything she wanted. No one in real life would ever recognize her.

CUMMING, Ga. — He ran away from home in Georgia at age 15, heading to Virginia to join the Confederate army. At the time, he could neither read nor write and had few marketable life skills. Before his return to Georgia, he would sail around the world several times and meet an unlikely teacher who taught him reading, writing and arithmetic. Then, after returning to Georgia, he would become a farmer, marry and start a family, and once again return to sea, before becoming a Baptist preacher and evangelist.

My co-worker Michelle gave her heart to Jesus when she was 14 years old.  Over the years, she has served at her church in many ways:  children’s church, Sunday School, VBS, and wherever needed.

If you have been around any kids who love Disney, I’m sure you have heard the song “Into the Unknown” from the movie “Frozen 2.” All my grandchildren love this song and have sung it at one time or another. As I was praying while driving to work, for some crazy reason I thought about this song. I looked up the lyrics when I got to work, and the first verse just made me think about how Satan is trying to distract all of us with the “unknown.”

SUWANEE, Ga. — Keys to ensuring that pastors don’t get worn down by the grind of ministry include observing a day of rest each week and taking periodic sabbaticals. That’s according to the Barna Research Group, an organization that monitors cultural and religious trends in America. “When compared to statistics from 2015, current Barna data shows that pastors’ well-being — spiritually, mentally and emotionally — has decreased significantly,” Barna said in a June article that delved into the importance of rest and selfcare.

SUWANEE, Ga. — The Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s annual SPARK conferences are taking shape with more than 40 speakers who will share insights into how churches can grow disciples and reach their communities for Christ. “The purpose of SPARK is to equip and empower lay leaders to their next step as a healthy disciple of Jesus,” said Scott Sullivan, the state Mission Board’s discipleship catalyst.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Many Georgia churches celebrated the long Independence Day weekend with sermons calling on believers to engage with politicians at the local, state and national levels on issues of biblical and ethical importance. “There’s an old saying that’s true, that they see the light when they feel the heat,” said longtime Atlanta-area pastor Richard Lee who spoke Sunday at Flat Creek Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia—If you were alive on March 7, 1970, and living on the East Coast of the United States, you likely remember the day. Called the “Eclipse of the Century,” everything went dark in major cities throughout the coast—including Savannah, Georgia; New York City; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. But Mike McDaniel has a different memory of the day.