A fundraising campaign is underway to help the congregation of a New England church destroyed by lightning-induced fire on Oct. 23.
First Baptist Church in Wakefield, Massachusetts, was occupied that Tuesday evening when the 150-year-old structure was hit by a bolt of lightning, Yahoo.com reported.
While a lot of memories, musical instruments and other items were lost in the blaze, a large painting of Jesus managed to escape the flames, WCVB in Boston reported.
A GoFundMe account has been created for rebuilding. As of Friday afternoon, it had reached close to $15,000 of its $50,000 goal.
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Alabama CBF renames mission offering
Frances Ford
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Alabama has renamed its annual mission offering after Frances Ford, the long-time executive director of the Sowing Seeds of Hope in Perry County.
The fundraising effort is now titled the Frances Ford State Mission Offering, said Terri Byrd, coordinator of Alabama CBF. The renaming, which was announced during the organization’s recent Fall Gathering, was timed to honor Ford’s 18th year with Seeds of Hope, a 25-year commitment to home repair, housing, healthcare assistance, spiritual renewal, education and more.
Baptist News Global recently published a series of stories and videos about the work of Ford and others through Seeds of Hope in Perry County. That series is part of the BNG Storytelling Projects Initiative.
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Wake Forest University Professor Mary Foskett will lead a worship titled “Reading the Bible in a Divided Age” 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at Memorial Baptist Church in Greenville, North Carolina.
Mary Foskett
Foskett’s presentation is sponsored by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.
The goal of the workshop is to present perspectives on scripture in an era in which biblical literacy is declining.
“This workshop will provide perspectives and tools to help pastors, ministers, and lay leaders engage the Bible more faithfully and effectively in today’s complex and often divided contexts.,” CBF NC announced online.