SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (ABP) — A coffeehouse on isolated Native American land is proof that a specialized business can succeed on a reservation in the middle of nowhere. Just ask Belva Matthews. She was honored Sept. 7 as one of…
Pastor of burned church, arsonist’s mom talk in chapel service about redemption
BRIERFIELD, Ala. (ABP) — An unlikely pair shared the pulpit at Judson College's weekly chapel Sept. 18. Jim Parker is pastor of the Ashby Baptist Church in Brierfield, Ala., the second of nine Alabama churches burned by arsonists in February…
New ‘ex-gay’ study hailed by Right raises methodological questions
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new study suggesting that religiously motivated conversion from homosexual orientation is possible and not harmful has been hailed by some social conservatives, while others are questioning the study's motive and methodology. The study, funded by an…
Hearing the Call
Hearing God's call to vocational service may not be as easy in a Baptist church as it once was, but some congregations are determined to change that. Once upon a time, a public invitation at the close of the sermon…
FAITH DIGEST
Religious activists fast for debt relief. A group of religious activists began a 40-day fast Sept. 6 to advocate for legislation that would cancel the debts of the world's 67 poorest countries, according to the Jubilee USA Network, an alliance…
Hearing the Call: Church approves 82-year-old for ‘gospel ministry’
HALLSVILLE, Texas (ABP) — A Baptist church in rural Texas recently licensed one of its own to preach the gospel — 82-year-old Buck Lineberger. The ceremony at First Baptist Church in Hallsville, Texas, came 65 years after Lineberger initially felt…
Ministers hear call through many voices
God uses a variety of voices in calling people to Christian service, veteran ministers agreed, pointing to their own experience. In Joel Thielepape's case, two voices figured prominently—a representative of the New York Yankees who delivered a discouraging word and…
Collegiate GO teams have varied mission experiences abroad
RICHMOND — Sponsored by Baptist Collegiate Ministry, GO (Global Outreach) Teams not only provide short-term summer mission immersion experiences for college and university students, but also develop leadership skills and build community through an intensive five-month training process. Each GO…
Hearing the Call: Ministers hear call to service from different voices
SEDALIA, Mo. (ABP) — Veteran ministers may have little in common when it comes to locale and style, but many agree on at least one thing: God uses a variety of ways to call people to Christian service, they say….
Connect 2007
RICHMOND — Connect: 2007, the 184th annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, will be held Nov. 13-14 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The theme is “Hope is On the Way.” Featuring more videos and other multi-media…
Italian youth minister serves summer in Virginia
RICHMOND — Not many self-employed computer programmers would risk giving their clients less than three weeks' notice that they would be unavailable for almost three months. But despite the potential loss of business, that's exactly what Daniele Podestà, a member…
ABP fills two positions, affirms strategic alliance
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — The Associated Baptist Press board of directors hired an interim development director and filled the position of news editor at their semi-annual meeting Sept. 16-18. Meeting in Richmond, Va., directors of the independent news service based…