By Jim White The white frame church building sitting just off Highway 11 in Greenville was filled with members and friends who gathered on Sunday afternoon, June 26, to honor Francis Funk's 50th anniversary as pastor of Greenville Baptist. In…
Kissing cousins
Heritage Column for June 23, 2005 By Fred Anderson CHIAVARI, Italy – Three weeks among the Italian Baptists and we have acquired many new kissing cousins. We have never seen so much hugging and kissing except at an annual meeting…
WMU elects Arkansas woman as national leader during meeting
Kaye Miller of Little Rock, Ark., was elected June 20 as the new president of the national Woman's Missionary Union. Miller, who has served as president of Arkansas WMU since 2002, succeeds Janet Hoffman of Farmerville, La., national WMU's president…
Weatherford gives itself away
Cover Story for July 14, 2005 After almost a century of ministry, mostly white Weatherford Memorial Baptist Church in south Richmond has voted to give its facilities to mostly African-American St. Paul's Baptist Church near Mechanicsville. The action is being…
Most teens lack basic Bible knowledge, survey says
Analysis for June 23, 2005 By Ken Camp A significant number of American teenagers are “clueless” when it comes to a working knowledge of the Bible, and that means they cannot receive a quality education, a new report indicates. A…
Virginians named to SBC posts
A number of Baptists from Virginia were elected to committees and boards of trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention last week: COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES • Ronnie C. Brown, Swift Creek Baptist Church, Midlothian (Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia) • William…
Letter for June 23, 2005
Showing God's love All of us know the song They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love, but I wonder if we understand the significance of what it says. The Scriptures indicate that the early church grew because people…
George Bush speaks to SBC messengers
President Bush told Southern Baptists June 21 their belief in a “free church in a free state” requires establishing a culture of compassion. Southern Baptists “know that freedom is a divine gift that carries serious responsibilities,” the president said from…
Church & People News for June 23, 2005
Staff changes Mark T. Lewis, now serving as full-time pastor of Community Church, Fal-mouth. Rick Kallstrom, resigning as pastor of Mount Hermon Church, Bedford. Charles Chandler has concluded his ministry as pastor of Trinity Church, Richmond. Scott Covington has concluded…
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…