Sota spent his career in information technology, but retiring from secular work didn’t mean stepping away from serving the Lord. A Japanese man living in the United States, Sota, asked a simple but powerful question: “Is there anything more I can do than pray?”

MONTREAL — North American Mission Board trustees, meeting in Montreal October 6-7, toured the city, learned about the ministry challenges associated with reaching Canada, and conducted business in support of NAMB’s ministries.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — On Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Seminary and Judson College, announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. His official retirement date is July 31, 2026.

GRIFFIN, Ga. — Once a thriving fellowship northeast of Griffin, McIntosh Baptist Church had dwindled to a handful of members and faced an uncertain future. But this fall, McIntosh is coming back to life. With help from the Flint River Baptist Association, several local congregations, and the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, the 136-year-old church has relaunched as a new work, uniting believers from across the region around a shared vision of renewal and gospel impact.

WINTERVILLE, Ga. — Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, brought a challenge from Ephesians 3 on “Mission Discipline: The Challenge for Southern Baptists Today” during the 226th annual meeting of the Sarepta Baptist Association at First Baptist Church, Winterville.

Numbers 33 recounts every stage of Israel’s journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab, where they are poised to enter the promised land. Moses records this itinerary under God’s command, reminding the people of where they’ve been, what God has done, and what’s still required before they settle in Canaan.

In the past, there were roughly three television stations available to the public. I remember watching a program or a ball game as a child, and then the president would come on to speak to the nation. The unwelcome interruption would be on all three channels, and I was forced to listen to Ronald Reagan instead of watching my favorite entertainment.

On Sept. 21, 2024, Hurricane Helene tore through Georgia with devastating force. One year later, the scars remain—blue tarps still cling to rooftops, ancient oaks lie splintered in fields, and the skyline in Hazlehurst stands conspicuously without a steeple.

BUCKSNORT, Tenn. — With warm words, warm smiles, and warm food, Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are aiding the recovery efforts in Hickman County in the aftermath of the deadly explosion Friday, Oct. 10, at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant.

Southern Baptists continue to prioritize pushing back lostness through missions, marking another strong year of generous giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. When the books closed on the SBC’s 2024-25 fiscal year Sept. 30, the Lottie offering totaled $207.2 million, and the Annie offering totaled $71.1 million, the second highest ever — a testament to the unified generosity of Southern Baptists.  

This year, Georgia Baptists will celebrate the 203rd anniversary of the Georgia Baptist Convention. The theme of the annual meeting will be “Everyone, Everywhere.” The meeting will be held at First Baptist Church, Atlanta, from Sunday, Nov. 9, through Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jason Heath, Vice President of Campus Technology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was presented with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award on Tuesday, October 1, 2025.

NEW ORLEANS — The board of trustees for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College heard positive updates, conducted business and took time to reflect on the mission of the institution during their fall meeting Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 7-8. 

NASHVILLE (BP) – On Oct. 19, Southern Baptists are called to pray for and recognize the cooperative ministry relationships that predate the Southern Baptist Convention itself by 138 years.

On a September morning, while most students are just arriving for class, clusters of teenagers across Georgia gather at their schools’ flagpoles. With bowed heads and joined hands, they pray for their classmates, teachers, and nation — continuing a tradition that began more than three decades ago in Texas and has since spread worldwide.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – As retired International Mission Board missionaries Nik and Ruth Ripken speak in a variety of small group settings, churches, and conferences, they desire to share practical insights with prospective missionaries about what to expect mentally, physically, and spiritually.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — As churches and families prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, Lifeway Christian Resources has released a robust lineup of Advent Bible studies and resources, including an online event, designed to equip worshipers of every age to mark the season with Scripture, reflection, and community.

McDONOUGH, Ga. — More than 1,200 college students and ministry leaders from across Georgia gathered Sept. 19–21 at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough for Confluence 2025, a gathering designed to help participants grow in their faith and understanding of God’s Word, uniting around the shared mission of making Jesus known.

HOUSTON — Generous churches produce generous people. It’s a sentiment Gregg Matte repeats often to his staff and congregation at Houston’s First Baptist Church, undergirding a culture that annually is one of the Southern Baptist Convention’s most enthusiastic supporters of the Cooperative Program.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Across the street, Canvas Stadium roared as 30,000 fans in green and gold streamed in for Colorado State’s Saturday game. For two full days leading up to kickoff, volunteers had been overhauling the yard and deck of a modest, one-story brick-and-siding building that faces the stadium gates.

Cheers erupted from the newly commissioned International Mission Board missionaries for the six global mission partners taking the stage. The representatives from Junta de Missões Nacionais in Brazil and the Korean Foreign Mission Board in Korea completed seven weeks of pre-field orientation alongside the American missionaries.  

The Bible study time was great, and the Dunkin' Donuts coffee had been oh, so good. It was a wonderful start for the day. Later in the morning, I realized I felt lighthearted; my spirit was buoyed. I had a feeling of joy that lingered.

I heard a song on the way to work this morning, and it really spoke to my heart. Years ago, our church had a benefit concert to raise money for our family. Our daughter with special needs, Missie, had been granted a spot in a residential facility, but the funding from the State of Georgia would not be in place for two months. Needless to say, we did not have the money to pay for the two months, as residential mental health care is very expensive.

BIG TIMBER, Mont. — Few, if any, of those who organized the Georgia Baptist Student Union (later renamed the Baptist Collegiate Ministry) one hundred years ago had likely ever heard of Big Timber, Montana. Nor could they imagine that it would become a part of the living legacy of BCM a century later.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been named a recipient of a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. The $871,074 grant will be used over the next five years.