CINCINNATI (ABP) — Kathleen Deyer Bolduc, a nationally recognized author and speaker in the field of disability ministry, said she was unprepared to parent a special-needs child before the birth of her third son. Now 24, Joel has autism, intellectual…
Barriers of attitude block people with disabilities from full inclusion in churches
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A longtime advocate for people with disabilities said the greatest barriers to including special-needs individuals in churches are not architectural or language but rather barriers of attitude. “We have within us prejudices,” said Ginny Thornburgh, director of…
Church should be place of acceptance for people with special needs
WASHINGTON (ABP) — People with disabilities don’t want churches that just “welcome” them, but rather congregations that value them and include them in living a “full life of faith,” a long-time advocate for special-needs ministry said. “Valued is being seen…
‘Idaho 10’ member blames UNICEF for group’s arrest
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (ABP) — With the last of 10 Southern Baptist mission volunteers released from a Haitian jail May 17, one of her "Idaho 10" co-laborers is breaking his silence and blames the whole ordeal on meddling by the…
RIGHT or WRONG? Christian leadership
I’ve talked with lots of friends who say their pastor operates in a heavy-handed, preacher-centered fashion. Just what are the New Testament marks of a Christian leader? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could always look to leaders as models…
OPINION: When a pastor goes to church
Amy Butler I had a free evening last week, so I decided to go to church. Though I spend quite a bit of time at church, I don’t often go to church in the way that most people think of…
FAITH DIGEST
U.S. Catholics vexed at Vatican. Nearly three-quarters of Catholics in the United States believe the Vatican tried to cover up clergy sex abuse, and a majority says Pope Benedict XVI has handled recent reports of past abuse poorly, according to…
Baptists increasingly mark Pentecost with missions, multiculturalism
WASHINGTON (ABP) — While the annual observance of Pentecost is not one that has a long history with many Baptist churches, there’s a natural fit between the holiday’s emphasis on the international nature of the church and the traditional Baptist…
Members of college mission team survive crash in Haiti
HANNIBAL, Mo. (ABP) — Fourteen students and a faculty sponsor from Baptist-affiliated Hannibal-LaGrange College were injured May 16 in a vehicle accident while on a mission trip in Haiti. The students — nine women and five men — were riding…
Flood relief turns to long-term recovery
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Twenty-seven volunteers from First Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., traveled three hours to Nashville in three shifts during the week of May 15-20 for flood relief. They were one of countless groups pitching in as response…
Tennessee flood relief turns to long-term recovery
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Twenty-seven volunteers from First Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., traveled three hours to Nashville in three shifts during the week of May 15-20 for flood relief. They were one of countless groups pitching in as response…
MBU hosts crime prevention workshop
ST. LOUIS — The shooting and death of an Illinois pastor brought Steve Heidke face-to-face with the reality of the vulnerability of most churches and synagogues. That reality birthed training for houses of worship in the St. Louis area and…