An Alabama church held a unique service last month. Not only did church members and many from the community attend, but there were also a number of four-legged friends. First Baptist Church West Blocton's Pastor Kyle Hodges has challenged the congregation to find out-of-the-box ways to relate to its community since he began serving there more than a year ago. Recognizing the importance of pets in our culture, this year they added an unusual activity that had tremendous success: “Paws in the Pew – the paw-fect setup for a community play date.” 

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Senior adults may be the greatest untapped resource in the church today. According to Steven Mintz, professor of history at the University of Texas, the 19th-century attitudes toward the elderly shifted from respect for their wisdom and experience to disrespect and hostility.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Finding themselves in a tough financial hole, many people have attempted to use payday loans to dig themselves out. Self-identified Christians living in the 27 states without meaningful regulations on those types of small, short-term unsecured loans often have a complicated relationship with payday advances and the lenders who offer them, according to a Lifeway Research study sponsored by Faith for Just Lending.

Long before the first Europeans set their eyes on the north Georgia mountains, the Cherokee roamed the wild and beautiful land. Reminders live on through the names of communities, rivers and mountains such as Curahee, Ellijay, Chestatee, Chattahoochee, and Cohutta. One of those now-forgotten sites was the Tinswattie Mission Station located near the junction of the Amocolia Creek and the Etowah River.  It was the first Baptist church in northwest Georgia and eventually became the first Baptist church in what is now Oklahoma.  

SUWANEE, Ga. – Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director Thomas Hammond is calling the state’s 3,400 churches to be part of an online gathering to pray for the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting set for June 13-14 in New Orleans.

Luke 13:10-13 tells a beautiful story of what Jesus can do in someone’s life: “On a Sabbath when Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, a woman was there who had been crippled for 18 years.  She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.  When Jesus saw her, He called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’  Then He put His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.” 

I do not like the “in between.”  I say that and inevitably I can still hear my mother say, “You’re in between a rock and a hard place.”  That doesn’t sound too appealing to me.  Maybe that contributes to me not being a fan of the “in-between."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) – Kentucky Baptist leaders say the hope and healing that the world needs come from only one place – the gospel of Jesus Christ. Monday’s mass shooting at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville took six lives, including the gunman, injured eight more and sent heartbreak and shock throughout the commonwealth. Darkness took over the state on Monday morning with a senseless act of violence from a flawed man. While gun laws will be debated, the only hope comes in the gospel.

HAMILTON, Ga. – Most Americans who read the Bible do so because it makes them feel closer to God or because they’re seeking wisdom to make important decisions in their lives. That’s among the newly released findings of the American Bible Society’s annual State of the Bible Survey. The survey conducted in January also found that 44 percent of Americans believe the nation would be worse off without the Bible and 23 percent believe negative influences from media, movies and music are feeding a moral decline.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Long before Karen Kennemur became professor of children’s ministry and Bessie Fleming Chair of Childhood Education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, her family roots at the institution were already deep. Her dad, Jerry Poteet, was a student at Southwestern when she was born at Harris Hospital in Fort Worth, and she and her family lived on campus until he graduated with a Master of Divinity in 1973. Kennemur’s late mother, Carolyn, worked for the Baptist Radio and Television Commission while her dad was in school.

Rome, Ga. — Shorter University students, faculty and staff celebrated Shorter as a dynamic community committed to the pursuit of Christ-honoring excellence at an award ceremony last week. “We are delighted to gather as a community to celebrate all of the ways Shorter University is moving forward toward a bright future,” said Shorter University President Dr. Don Dowless.

ATLANTA, GA – Wayne Mote trained for two years and six months to become an Ironman, a title achieved by completing a grueling 116-mile bike ride, a full 26.2-mile marathon, and a 2.4-mile swim. Six months after attaining the title achieved by only the most elite athletes, he collapsed while running in a less grueling triathlon in Peachtree City. He had completed the swimming and cycling events and was running toward the finish line when he collapsed.

This Mother’s Day, May 14th, will see many churches celebrating Children’s Home Day. It’s a special day of prayer and offering to honor and help continue the ministry of Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries. The Home provides a wide range of services for children in need, with campuses throughout the state of Georgia.  Group Home Care, family care, foster care, counseling, along with programs for children with special needs and education are just some of the ministries offered.

KANSAS CITY, Mo — Midwestern Seminary faculty approved curricular changes and added mentorship opportunities to its master’s program on March 30. The newly approved structure features double the number of available emphases, clear and attainable pathways to doctoral programs, and discipline-specific cohort offerings for Global Campus students.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — On Friday, Brewton-Parker College hosted its 6th Annual Southern Classic Golf Tournament presented by Metter Ford at the Willow Lake Golf Club in Metter, Georgia. Through the generous support of business sponsors and local teams, the event had over 70 golfers and $20,000 raised. These funds will be used to transform the lives of the students academically and spiritually.

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – A pastor’s wife, speaker and writer who works to make disciples by cultivating a passion for God’s word will be a headliner at this year’s Georgia Baptist Women’s Spring Event. Kandi Gallaty who, with her husband Robby Gallaty, leads Replicate Ministries, an effort to educate, equip and empower believers to make disciples who make disciples.

FORT WORTH, Texas — An enhanced user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing website for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary launched last week, with an updated website for Texas Baptist College that went live Monday. “I’m delighted that we are able to launch new websites for Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College, which will well serve current and future students and communicate the mission and identity of this institution to equip students to live their callings,” said David S. Dockery, interim president.

From dressing as Roman soldiers in Antigua, Guatemala, to carrying palm fronds on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, Christians around the world have celebrated Holy Week. For millions of Christians, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, known as Holy Week, is the most sacred time of the year. It's the week Christians commemorate the passion of Jesus Christ.

August 1, 1834, it was a sunrise to remember. People began walking in the predawn darkness, making their way to the mountain tops of islands scattered across the Caribbean. They summited the peaks in order to see the first rays of a sunrise that would mark the first day of their new freedom. It was a journey they began as slaves and one that would end as they walked down the mountain slopes in freedom.

ROME, Ga. — Shorter University recognized and honored faculty and staff at their 2023 Awards Day. “Our annual faculty awards recognize members of the Shorter faculty who live out the principles of servant-leadership on a daily basis,” said Dr. Donald Dowless, school president. “This year’s recipients demonstrate a strong commitment to serving students well as they honor the Lord Jesus Christ each and every day.”

What does the International Mission Board really do? How can I partner with the IMB to reach the nations? How can people in my church go on short-term mission trips that will lead to long-term partnership? How does all this really impact global lostness?

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – A black Jeep Grand Cherokee made its way slowly along a narrow U.S. Forest Service road Thursday, bucking and jolting across washouts and fallen tree branches in a remote section of north Georgia, a canoe strapped to the roof. Behind the wheel was Southern Baptist historian Charles Jones whose latest research project took him to a wilderness area along the banks of the Etowah River to look for telltale signs of one of Georgia’s earliest churches where some of the state’s original inhabitants worshipped two centuries ago.

With fascinating perception and cogent composition Dr. Steve R. Parr, in his new book, Giants, Kings, and Psalms, has succeeded in weaving together into a beautiful tapestry of truth, the tests, trials and triumphs of King David. The book is doing well and last week was number one for Christian Biography New Releases in Amazon’s Kindle category.

Have you seen or do you know what the “black scratch-off coloring pages” are? Just in case you don’t, let me try and explain. They are completely black-coated pieces of paper that kids can take a coin or a wooden stick and scratch out a picture. Underneath the black is a specific colorful picture or just colors. On some, you have to scratch the entire black off to see the specific picture, but on others you can scratch off your own design to have a colorful picture of whatever you choose: a butterfly, rainbow, etc.

Most Americans believe Jesus rose from the dead on the first Easter Sunday. They’re just not sure it matters much. Two-thirds of U.S. adults say the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate. They believe this event actually occurred, according to the 2022 State of Theology study. Fewer than a quarter disagree, and about 1 in 10 say they’re not sure.