It began on a sunny day at a local park in Belfast, Ireland. International Mission Board missionaries Russell and Tori Minnick were watching their kids have fun on a playground when, at the far end of a field, a group of men were running routes and huddling over playbooks.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Until temperatures rise high enough and long enough to make roads more accessible, response to a winter storm stretching from Texas to the Northeast is going to have a more local focus, Southern Baptist leaders told Baptist Press on Monday, Jan. 26.

ANDERSONVILLE, Ga. — For the past 32 years, Mack and Bebe Herrington have been faithful to what God has asked them to do and have found love for people they never expected to meet.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — The Truett McConnell campus will remain closed for all students, faculty, and staff on Tuesday, Jan. 27, due to power outages around campus. 

Caleb Phillips, 21, was born and raised in Minnesota and when he saw the crowds protesting, he thought, "There are many unbelievers in the twin cities, and these protests are just a concentrated group of people. I’d love to witness to them."

NASHVILLE (BP) – A storm system that has moved across much of the U.S. is wreaking havoc on millions as snow, sleet, and freezing rain are leaving many without electricity and unable to travel. Send Relief is currently working with Baptist state disaster relief teams to assess needs and availability.

WASHINGTON – Thousands of pro-life Americans, including many Southern Baptists, gathered near the U.S. Capitol Friday, Jan. 23, for the 53rd annual March for Life. This year’s March for Life rally, which is understood to be the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration, marks the fourth time the event has been held since the historic overturning of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, which returned regulation of abortion primarily back to the states.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Meant for the Mission, a two-year theme that will be woven throughout Woman's Missionary Union curriculum beginning this fall, provided the backdrop for more than 20 different speakers who shared missions testimonies and illustrations of God’s faithfulness during WMU’s January board meeting, Jan. 10–12, 2026.

Tokyo was a whirlwind of colors, sounds, and — most importantly — signs. For two weeks in November, the Deaflympics met in the capital city of Japan, where the International Mission Board had more than 50 workers and volunteers sharing the gospel during the worldwide event for Deaf athletes.

ROME, Ga. — Out of an abundance of caution due to the potential for severe winter weather in the Rome area, Shorter University will close at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23. There will be no classes, and the campus will remain closed on Monday, Jan, 26.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — Truett McConnell University is proud to announce that Brandi Wood, Director of Marketing & Communications, has been named the recipient of the “Outstanding Newcomer Award” at the 2025 Georgia Educational Advancement Council Conference held in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary officially kicked off the 2026 spring semester with its Convocation service on Tuesday, Jan. 20.   “The beginning of a new semester is always our favorite time of the year,” NOBTS President Jamie Dew said in a statement.   

ONTARIO, Calif. — Gateway Seminary announced the appointment of Dr. Paul G. Kelly as the new director of its Hawaii campus. This strategic leadership appointment advances the seminary's partnership with the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention, approved by Gateway trustees in October 2025, with classes set to begin in fall 2026.

In the aftermath of the disruption by Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters of a Southern Baptist worship service on Jan. 18, leaders in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention are asking for prayer and support for the ethnic churches in the two states.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Melanie Ford has been named Ministry Wives Coordinator for the Pastor Wellness team at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, effective Jan. 1. In her new role, Ford will help lead and strengthen ministry to pastors’ wives across Georgia as part of the GBMB’s Pastor Wellness emphasis.

FORSYTH, Ga. — In its first year of operation under Friends of Kaleo, the camp saw increased attendance in both day and overnight campers. During the 2025 season, Camp Kaleo hosted 693 day and overnight campers, supported by a staff of 30. The year included 17 first-time professions of faith, four rededications, and at least 15 faith discussions with campers.

TYRONE, Ga. — Disciple-maker Mark Ward has officially retired from full-time ministry as of December 31, 2025, after a 40-year ministry that included 23 years on staff as Minister of Education and Outreach at Flat Creek Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (BP) – Leaders of Cities Church released a statement Wednesday, Jan. 20, addressing what they called the “shameful, unlawful conduct” of protestors that disrupted their church service on Sunday, Jan. 18.

NASHVILLE (BP) – One year ago, residents along the Gulf Coast were having fun in the rarest-of-rare snow events. That mood is different today for those in areas forecast to receive severe winter weather this weekend, with predictions of freezing rain and snow accumulations in feet, not inches.

PONCE, Puerto Rico — In its first–ever women’s evangelism event in Puerto Rico, the North American Mission Board partnered with the Puerto Rico Baptist Convention to welcome over 300 women to a one-day women’s evangelism conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Ponce.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) – Four years ago, the Baptist Church Music Conference had about 80 attendees. It seemed like no one knew it existed. It felt like it was dying. At least, that’s the feeling Scott Connell had when he attended his first one in 2022.

EAST CARBON, Utah – Jennifer Carter was still homeschooling the three youngest of her five children when, in 2020, COVID swept through her community of about 1,500 people.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — The Michael Sattler School of Public Service’s Public Safety Academy celebrated the graduation of its second and third classes on Dec. 12, 2025. Ten students graduated from the program, prepared to enter the field of public service.

FORT WORTH, Texas — President David S. Dockery in recent years has used convocation addresses each new semester at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to speak about the institution’s heritage, leaders who shaped its theology, its core values, and what it means to be a “Southwesterner.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Midwestern Seminary marked the beginning of the Spring 2026 semester with its Spring Convocation on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The event included an address by President Jason Allen and the signing of the Articles of Faith by three recently elected faculty members.