WINGATE, N.C. (ABP) — On Thursday night, 29 high-school students gathered around a tree, holding hands and praying — with no adults in sight. It was the next to the last night of Echo, an event for students who feel…
12,000 Baptists heading to England for centennial world congress
BIRMINGHAM, England (ABP) — At least 12,000 worldwide Baptists will make their way to Birmingham, England, for the Baptist World Congress July 27-31, apparently undeterred by recent terror attacks in London. Registration for the congress climbed above the 12,000 mark…
Some children, teens left out of Sunday school, study says
(ABP) — Although Bible training for school-age children is still popular, preschoolers and adolescents are kept out of the Sunday school loop in a growing number of churches. According to a study of 614 Protestant churches nationwide by the Barna…
‘Partial-birth’ abortion ban violates Constitution, appeals court says
ST. LOUIS (ABP) — A federal appeals court in St. Louis has become the latest to declare unconstitutional a 2003 federal law banning what abortion-rights opponents call “partial-birth” abortions. The decision is sure to add fuel to the debate over…
Religious freedom commission elects evangelical as chairman
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal panel that monitors global conditions for religious freedom has elected an evangelical Christian activist as its chairman. Michael Cromartie will serve as the 2005-06 chair for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Cromartie,…
Prominent K.C. church faces lawsuit alleging sexual assault by pastor’s son
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (ABP) — One of the Missouri Baptist Convention's largest congregations has been sued by a former intern, claiming the pastor's son — who was then the church's single-adult minister — sexually assaulted and impregnated her. The accused, Mark…
Weakened Hurricane Dennis ‘welcomes’ pastor to Pensacola
PENSACOLA Fla. (ABP) — As the wind and rain of Hurricane Dennis bore down on First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Fla., Barry Howard preached his first sermon as the church's new pastor. About 60 congregation members — and five dogs…
North Carolina Baptist executive leaving to return to pastorate
CARY, N.C. — Jim Royston will step down as executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Royston, 57, plans to retire from denominational service and become senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Mooresville, N.C., near Charlotte….
Bellevue elects Steve Gaines to fill legendary pulpit
CORDOVA, Tenn. (ABP) — The fabled pulpit of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis will have a new occupant — 47-year-old Alabama pastor Steve Gaines. Gaines, pastor of Gardendale's First Baptist Church in Gardendale, Ala., was presented by a search committee…
Grieving is universal, but grief process differs for everyone, counselors say
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — In life, there's at least one guarantee: You'll lose someone you love. Coping with the death of a relative or friend is tough no matter who you are. But for people in faith communities, a few…
Meeting with SBC, European leaders could spawn new conservative group
WARSAW, Poland (ABP) — Twelve conservative Baptists from Europe met with nine Southern Baptist leaders July 1-2 in Warsaw, Poland, in what one participant said could be a precursor to a new international organization of “like-minded” Baptists. The participants said…
Division over homosexuality threatens American Baptist ranks
DENVER (ABP) — American Baptists are a step closer to a long-anticipated showdown over homosexuality and diversity after completing their biennial meeting July 4. The denomination's General Board, meeting prior to the larger convocation in Denver, accepted the first reading…