Have you ever encountered someone whose presence casts a shadow over the room? Their negative energy can bring down even the most cheerful atmosphere. These individuals, often unhappy themselves, have a knack for spreading their discontent to those around them. Do you bring joy or tension into your relationships and surroundings?

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — As counties in western North Carolina and surrounding areas continue to grapple with unprecedented devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, N.C. Baptist disaster response volunteers are partnering with churches to assist local residents with the long journey of recovery.

NEWPORT, Tenn.  — Eastern Tennessee experienced significant and widespread damage Friday afternoon due to torrential rains and high winds from Hurricane Helene. Helene made landfall in the Florida Panhandle late Thursday and forcefully progressed through Eastern Georgia into Tennessee along the Appalachian Mountains, causing severe flooding and wind damage in numerous East Tennessee counties.

SUWANEE, Ga. — The Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s response to the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene is comprehensive, according to chief operating officer David Melber. “We want to make sure we do not miss any church that needs our help,” he told staff in a call on Monday.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — More than 100 people have died from the havoc wrought by Hurricane Helene, and Send Relief is supporting dozens of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief sites deployed throughout the Southeast in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The remnants of Hurricane Helene continued to devastate communities and claim lives in the Southeast over the weekend. The storm has left a reported 800-mile path of destruction that has impacted numerous states — among them Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The death toll had climbed to more than 90 people on Monday, Sept. 30, according to the latest reports.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — On Monday, Sept. 19, Brewton-Parker College was privileged to host a policy stop on the Georgia Recovers Bus Tour. This event featured a diverse panel of community members discussing current addiction and recovery policies, focusing on agricultural communities.

SUWANEE, Ga. — Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief coordinator Dwain Carter said Saturday that the response in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s rampage through Georgia would be an “all hands on deck effort.” Carter said a huge area of the state has been affected by the storm, with effects ranging from wind damage to flooding, and loss of power and communications.

McDONOUGH, Ga. — More than1,000 chicken sandwich lunches, 2,300 bottles of water, 350 pizzas, 800 juice pouches, 250 pounds of mandarins, and gallons and gallons of coffee. That’s just some of what it took to feed the more than 1000 students, program staff, and volunteers that converged on Eagle’s Landing Baptist Church in McDonough last weekend, Sept. 20-22, for Confluence, the Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministries conference.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) – Frank James, one of the organizers of the Multi-Language Evangelism Conference at Bethlehem Baptist Church last weekend, said it was like a slice of what heaven may look like.

MERIDIAN, Miss. — When Northcrest Baptist Church in Meridian, Mississippi, participated in Serve Tour Meridian in early 2022, they thought it would be a short-term mission project. But what began as a temporary outreach effort has transformed into a long-term ministry that continues to bless their community.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Midwestern Seminary welcomed more than 1,500 guests to campus on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 23–24, for the 2024 For the Church National Conference, “Faithful: Serving the Most Beautiful People on Earth.”

The Black River, or Rio Negro, is one of the driving forces behind transportation and trade in the Northwest Amazon. However, when a drought reduced water levels to historic lows in October of 2023, barges carrying food, goods, and fuel could no longer make their way up the river, leaving parts of the Amazon without access to vital resources.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Southern Seminary hosted students from 20 states for the first Experiential Modular. These 8-week online courses bring students to campus for three days to engage face-to-face with their professors, connect with peers, and participate in campus activities.

PERRY, Fla. — As Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, made landfall just after 11 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26, in Taylor County, Florida Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are now on “active status,” preparing to respond quickly to deliver help, hope and healing to those impacted by the storm.

RICHMOND, Va. — International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood told trustees that with a few giving days left in the 2023-24 giving year, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering was already the largest in the IMB’s history, with receipts currently showing more than $204 million given to date.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Southern Baptists’ compassion ministry Send Relief, alongside Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers from Florida and six other states, are activating response teams and prepping supplies to quickly deploy in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. This includes mobile kitchens, food, water, generators and cleanup supplies.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Lottie Moon’s home church hosted the International Mission Board’s Sending Celebration on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Rob Pochek, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Park Street, Charlottesville, told the 57 newly appointed missionaries, their families and friends that he couldn’t think of a more appropriate place to send them off to the nations than the place Lottie Moon first heeded God’s calling on her life. 

DACULA, Ga. — The Haven at Hebron, a 7,000-square-foot maternity home for homeless pregnant minors, is complete and will be able to receive residents as soon as licensing is finalized. Danette Fleming, who sits on the Board of Directors and is responsible for donor development, says that could take up to 90 days, and that she hopes to have residents in the home by the end of the year.

HARTWELL, Ga. — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, age 24, collapsed after making a hit in the first quarter of an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023. The players on both teams, tens of thousands of fans in the stadium, and millions of people viewing the game on television watched in horror when Hamlin made the tackle, stood up and fell over on his back.

The words lamb, hyssop, blood, and outstretched arm have been spinning through my mind. Digging into the first Passover, puzzle pieces are falling into place as the people of Israel prepare to be freed from their slavery. God perfectly stitches the Scriptures of the Old Testament together with the New Testament into a beautiful tapestry. It is fascinating and amazing… when we are looking for it.

Alma Ruth (Stevens, Haskins) McCommon, 84, passed away September 23, 2024, in Lubbock, TX. She was born November 11, 1939, to Samuel Jefferson, Sr., and Thelma Ruth (West) Stevens, in Muskogee, OK. Samuel Jefferson Stevens, Jr., known as “Bud,” was born 8 years prior to Ruthie.

You may not even know what an ISP is unless you have a special needs child. ISP stands for Individual Support/Service Plan. An ISP meeting is held once a year to set goals, go over medical concerns, and just collect information so that anyone who supports the person with intellectual disabilities can take part in setting new goals and a plan to focus on those goals.

ROME, Ga. — Georgia Baptists responded enthusiastically to this years’ SPARK church-strengthening conferences, with more than 800 people attending the final event at West Rome Baptist Church on Sunday, Sept. 22.

Barna and Impact 360 concluded a series of Gen Z reports on Thursday, Sept. 12, with 'Leading Gen Z,' a simulcast highlighting their final set of conclusions, based on more than a decade of research.