BLUEFIELD — One hundred fifty-seven Bluefield College seniors received diplomas and three retired BC professors earned distinguished titles during the school’s 87th spring commencement, Saturday, May 16. President David Olive welcomed the nearly 1,000 family and friends gathered outside in…
‘Build now,’ say construction experts to congregations looking to expand
RICHMOND — Despite the anxiety created by the sagging economy, this is an excellent time for churches to consider building, says Rod Hale, long-time church facility consultant for Virginia Baptists. Church architects agree. Jim Byerly, of Huff Morris Architects in…
Youth minister hurt in bus wreck released from hospital
SHREVEPORT, La. (ABP) — A Baptist church’s youth minister is recovering at home from injuries he received July 12 when the bus carrying his youth group to a Georgia camp rolled over on a Mississippi interstate highway, injuring 23 passengers…
U.S. laws chill Muslim philanthropy
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Laws meant to eliminate terror financing are targeting Muslims unjustly, interfering with their right to practice Islam and resulting in a decline in charitable giving, the American Civil Liberties Union has charged. The 166-page report, “Blocking Faith,…
Bluefield College hosts teens on a mission to ‘Impact Virginia’
BLUEFIELD — More than 200 youth from Baptist churches across Virginia swarmed the Bluefield College campus June 28-July 4 to make an "impact" on Greater Bluefield through service projects in the community. Virginia Baptist youth repair the roof on a…
Moderate Baptist leaders urge Congress to pass far reaching climate-change bill
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A total of 140 moderate Baptist leaders signed a June 18 letter urging passage of a comprehensive energy bill that includes caps on emissions linked to global warming. Drafted by the Baptist Center for Ethics, a…
Transformed lives — not just sobriety — the goal of recovery ministries
Terry Walker fell to his knees in the shower stall of a South Texas substance abuse treatment center, crying out to God for release from the chains of addiction. “God blessed me with the gift of desperation,” Walker said. “At…
Graduation rates at religious schools outpace those at other universities
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Religiously affiliated universities rank the highest nationwide in graduating their students, while hundreds of public and private universities fall far below the low average of graduated students, according to a recent report based on data from the…
Huckabee steers hard right on Iran, abortion in speech to SBC pastors
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — Mike Huckabee, a former and potential Republican presidential candidate, staked out conservative political ground in a speech to Southern Baptist pastors. While only obliquely referring to President Obama, the former Baptist pastor and Arkansas governor took…
What to do with excess embryos? One researcher has an idea
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The woman across the table told Jeanne Loring she was on the horns of a dilemma — feed and clothe her existing family or continue to pay to keep frozen her embryos from an earlier fertility treatment….
‘Great Commission demands sacrifice,’ says Rankin in IMB’s report to SBC
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) — An evening of testimonies conveyed both miracles and the remaining challenges of a lost world. And Southern Baptists responded on their knees with prayer — and a gift of more than $100,000 to international missions June…
FAITHSHAPERS: Parenting in Bizarro World
Keep those questions coming, Bizarro parents. Our topic for today is, “How can I set up my children to fail?” Every parent in Bizarro world dreams of watching their children crash and burn repeatedly, but we can’t just sit back…