The semi-trailer flatbed ahead of me was loaded with small, cut spruce trees. It didn't take much creativity to anticipate their destination as a Christmas tree lot in some distant city. Although reluctant to admit it to my friends at…
For some, happy holidays means no gifts
AUSTIN, Texas (RNS)—Scrap the gift lists. Trash the wrapping paper. Blow off the mall. That's the mind-set of Americans who can't stomach exchanging holiday presents. They aren't grinches or scrooges. They just reject what they consider the wastefulness and stress…
OFFERINGS: Bandela partners with Indian church starters in ministry
ATLANTA — For five years, Sam Bandela, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's global missions field personnel, has been working patiently among hill tribes in the mountainous central region of India. Even as tsunami relief and personal challenges intervened, Bandela…
Blair, afraid of being labeled a ‘nutter,’ kept faith private
LONDON (RNS) — Former British prime minister Tony Blair says his religious faith, although rarely expressed in public, was “hugely important” to him but he feared he might be viewed as a “nutter” if he spoke out about it. Blair,…
OFFERINGS: Harding brings clean water, love of Christ to Ethiopians
ATLANTA — In Ethiopia, the new rush of fresh, drinkable water brings a rush of joy. “When you strike water and the well starts to work, you should hear the joy,” said David Harding, one of CBF's global missions field…
Ugandan Baptist pastor counsels people with AIDS
BARARA, Uganda (BP)—Dressed in a suit coat and tie, Nabath Atusasire looks a little out of place as he picks his way through an overgrown banana grove. The humid heat of southern Uganda presses on him. Slick-soled dress shoes provide…
OFFERINGS: Taking the gospel to Russia’s struggling Udmurt people
IZHEVSK, Russia (BP) — No father should have to bury a son. But the world can be a sad place — particularly the piece of it called Udmurtia (ood-MER-ti-yah) in the foothills of Russia's Ural Mountains. On a spring day…
British Baptists apologize for slavery, acknowledge ‘appalling consequences’
SWANWICK, England (BWA) — Baptists in Britain have apologized for the slave trade. The Council of the Baptist Union of Great Britain — widely known as BUGB— which met in Swanwick, England, on Nov. 12-14, passed a resolution saying, “We…
OFFERINGS: Ukrainian believers take gospel to Kazakhstan
PAVLODAR, Kazakhstan (BP) — Roman Gopanchuk gestures with his left hand and leans forward to explain a Scripture passage to his home Bible study group in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan. Just outside the living room door, Gopanchuk's 8-year-old son, Timofey, plays with…
Words of Hope ministry changes outlook for people with AIDS
AKOPE STATION, Uganda (BP)—Saidat Makop is sick. To look at her, a casual observer would never know. She looks as healthy as the next person. Her cheeks are rosy. She works in the garden for hours. Her eyes might look…
FAITH DIGEST
Christian groups commit to cooperation. More than 240 Christian leaders said they left an international summit in Kenya committed to building closer ties among the world's Christian denominations. The Global Christian Forum, meeting near Nairobi, brought together Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox,…
Baptist-Catholic dialogue continues with second round
WASHINGTON (BWA) — The second round in the second series of conversations between the Baptist World Alliance and the Vatican was to take place Dec. 2-8 in Rome. The first round in this series was held at Beeson Divinity School…