CLEVELAND, Ga. — Truett McConnell University dedicated the Danny Watters Cottage, a peaceful, mountain-side retreat designed to serve pastors and those in vocational ministry, on Monday, July 21. This private, quaint two-bedroom cottage provides a place of rest, reflection, and renewal, where ministers and their families can retreat from the pressures of full-time ministry at no cost and recharge.

All the small Illinois church wanted to do was be involved in missions. They prayed about it and prayed some more. Then, they sent two of their own to investigate partnerships with the International Mission Board.  When God put this calling on the church three years ago, they never imagined the path they’d walk. 

ATHENS, Ga.— Dr. Stewart B. Simms Jr., served as pastor of Beech Haven Baptist Church for 31 years before retiring on Oct. 16, 2011. At the time, Simms declared that he would “preach as often as I am able.”

When Virgil Tillman, pastor emeritus at Springfield Baptist Church in Panama City, Fla., awoke in the Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville, the last thing he remembered was carrying a bucket of ice to his daughter’s house. As Tillman approached the porch, he slipped and fell on the concrete, leaving him unconscious, with a broken nose, concussion, and brain bleed.

On the mission field, missionaries quickly forge close relationships with other missionaries, often becoming like family. When missionaries return to the U.S., isolation may set in as they lose proximity to their missionary family.

HAMPTON, Ga. — More than 40,000 NASCAR fans flood EchoPark Speedway in Hampton for two events each year, and there is not a place they can go on site without interacting with Raceway Ministries Atlanta.

TIGERVILLE, S.C. (BP) – The first couple of weeks are crucial for a college student, especially those away from home for the first time. A new environment awaits.

More and more churches are seeing first responder rooms as an opportunity to show love to their community.

We painted rats and tumors last week in Sunday School. The Super Bowl had not been hyped as much. Our class has been journeying through 1 Samuel, building up to David and Goliath.

Rev. Richard "Rick" Davis Markham, 79, of Woodstock, GA, passed away peacefully at home on July 15, 2025, following a courageous battle with dementia.

If you came into my house after bedtime every night, all you would hear would be sound machines going. Wayne and I do not use one, but when we open our bedroom door, that is really all we can hear. I assume we are not the only household that has sound machines running at night.

LaFAYETTE, Ga. — For 190 years, First Baptist Church of LaFayette has been lifting high the name of Jesus in northwest Georgia. On Sunday, July 20, the church celebrated its 190th anniversary, having survived wars and turmoil throughout its rich history.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — Truett McConnell University’s Hans Hut School of Business is excited to announce an upcoming networking event that will bring together business alumni, current students, faculty, and corporate partners. The event will take place on Tuesday, September 30, at 5:00 p.m. in the NIX Student Center on TMU’s campus.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — In general, U.S. Protestant pastors continue to stay behind the pulpit, but they may be facing unique challenges depending on their church’s denominational identity.

ROAN MOUNTAIN, Tenn. — Two weeks after Roan Park Baptist Church spent $20,000 from its savings to pave its parking lot, Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters washed it all away. The small congregation of about 15 members now faces a different future — one funded by a $400,000 grant from Samaritan’s Purse that will help rebuild not just their parking lot, but their entire ministry

KERRVILLE, Texas — One searcher after the flood in Kerr County came across personal items with the names of four children on them. Those items are now being returned to those families with a special touch from Texans on Mission volunteers.

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley saw himself as the “white boy in the room” when he worshipped on opening night at the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference on Monday, July 21, the guest of African American pastor Gregory Perkins.

LEXINGTON, Ga. — Small churches occupy a significant place in American history, and their value is still noteworthy today. Southern Baptist statistics reveal that 43% of the churches in the SBC have fewer than 50 people in their weekly worship service. Small churches have given great preachers their start, much older pastors a place to serve in the sunset years of their lives, and bi-vocational pastors the opportunity to fulfill their divine calling.

While there are likely numerous theological differences between evangelical, Catholic, and Black Protestant pastors, they share core convictions that aren’t as common among mainline pastors.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — What do gymnastics, basketball, and taekwondo have to do with the gospel? “Everything!” if you ask Alejandro Lopez, recreation director for First Baptist Church Kissimmee.

STURGIS, Ky. (KT) — First Baptist Church and Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief, along with several other volunteer organizations, ministered to more than 5,000 bikers at the annual West Kentucky Bike Rally from Thursday through Sunday, July 17-20.

There is a perpetual joke in my family about when I order my food in restaurants. For several years, when placing an order, I have been informed that the item I requested is no longer available. More often than not, I have had to alter my first choice.

Within the Psalter there are seven psalms of repentance — Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143. David is named in Psalm 38 and Psalm 143. The sin that resulted in David writing Psalm 38 is not known.

ATHENS, Ga. — Baptist Collegiate Ministries is moving toward a new chapter at the University of Georgia, as construction is now underway on a transformative redevelopment project that will reshape the ministry’s presence in the heart of Athens.

BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Luke Ash, the bivocational pastor of Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, was fired on July 10 as a library technician by the East Baton Rouge Parish Library because he declined to use pronouns with another library employee that did not reflect her biological sex.